The Blue Moon
by yallgurl99
Summary: College student, Edward, finds love in the most unexpected of places. Bella is a skilled bar tender working her way through college. But Edward isn't the only one that's noticed the beautiful girl. Will Edward be able to protect her when the time comes?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 1- EPOV**

'_What in the hell am I doing here?_' I thought to myself as I sat at the bar table with my sister and friends. I looked at the diet cola I was sipping with disdain. It was flat, which would perfectly match the rest of my experience at this new bar.

The Blue Moon was the latest bar to open on the Seattle scene, a very popular night spot that still had a waiting list to get inside. You had to know someone to get in the door. Luckily, my sister's newest boyfriend had some connections, thus making tonight her "best birthday ever." According to her, anyway. Personally, I still preferred the Lion King party she had when she turned ten.

The place had a raw, industrial look to it. Apparently the developers spent a lot of money to make the place look like they hadn't put a dime into it. The lighting was harsh, the air was smoky and the music was unbearably loud. I couldn't hear myself think, much less hear what anyone else was saying. But other than my sister and friends, I don't think I would have been interested in much that was being said here.

The bar was modeled after a famous one from New York, the kind where the staff was rude to you on purpose and the scantily clad waitresses danced on the tabletops at designated intervals. It made them seem kind of desperate in my opinion, but I seemed to be the only one to think that way. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a line a mile long outside consisting of nearly every other male from a 100-mile radius.

"Where is our waitress?" I heard Alice's excited voice yell from beside me. It was only 11:00pm, but the birthday girl was already "feeling good," bouncing up and down on her stool like a 5-year-old at Christmas. She looked cute tonight in her blue jeans and white sequined tank top, even though you could barely see her short, petite frame over the top of the bar table from the stool she was sitting on. I should have bought her a booster seat for her birthday.

Of course, in typical Alice fashion she accessorized with a sparkling silver tiara set atop her spiky, jet black hair. It read "Birthday Girl" in fake diamonds. She always liked to be center of attention, which surprised me because lately she only had eyes for one person. Her boyfriend, Jasper. Poor bloke, she had dressed him tonight to match her: dark blue jeans and a casual white button down, the sleeves rolled up a bit. I think she even managed to put some styling product in his dark blonde curls, although he had avoided having to wear a shiny tiara to complete the matching ensemble.

He sat next to her with one arm casually laid across the back of her bar stool. They had only been dating about 2 months, but you'd swear they'd known each other their whole lives the way they gazed into the other's eyes and were always joined at the hip. His blue eyes literally sparkled when he watched her. I'm sure he thought she hung the moon.

"Well speak of the devil!" my best friend, Emmett, boasted from the seat on my other side. His large personality was only surpassed by his even larger physical presence. Emmett could have easily filled two bar stools with his tall, muscular frame. His dark brown, slightly curly hair stood out starkly against his fair skin. He might have looked intimidating, except for the fact that he couldn't ever stop laughing and smiling with dimples that belonged on the Gerber baby.

Unlike the calm and cool demeanor projected by Jasper across the table, Emmett's personality matched that of my sister's. Only where Alice was uber-excited tonight because of her birthday, Emmett had that mischievous glint in his eye that could only be seen when he caused me trouble.

"Here comes your girlfriend," he said as he elbowed me in the ribs. If it hadn't been for his own new girlfriend Rosalie, sitting on his other side, I would have said something less befitting a gentleman. Lucky for him, Rosalie was the epitome of a lady, at least through her gorgeous looks: slender with curves in all the right places, long blonde hair curled to perfection and a million watt smile behind lips painted a sultry red. Surprisingly, though, it was not this perfect blonde that held his eye at the moment.

I followed his gaze to see fiery red hair slinking toward our table, a tray of shots balanced precariously above her shoulder. I couldn't help but grimace. The red-haired waitress had already stopped at our bar table too many times for my taste. Each time, she lingered a little too close for my comfort, leaning forward so I could get a good view of her assets via the super low cut, midriff top she was wearing. During her last stop, she had even been brazen enough to leave behind a crumpled piece of paper with her name, Victoria, and her phone number. Emmett thought this was pretty damn funny, and quite a few "hilarious" innuendos ensued.

"Next round's on me," I called as I jumped up from the table and headed for the main bar. I just barely heard Alice exclaim "Ooh, what pretty shots!" before I was out of hearing range.

Normally, I hated crowded bars and having to wait for my drinks. But tonight I would make an exception. Besides, I'd offered to be the designated driver, something I was quickly regretting. I was starting to think I'd need some liquid courage in order to make it through one night in the Blue Moon.

It took a couple of minutes just to get up to the main bar. I was surprised to see two female bar tenders standing around doing nothing, when there were so many people waiting to get drinks. It was almost as if everyone was waiting to be served by the same person. And then I saw her…

She had long, dark brown hair that was silky straight and pulled halfway back to stay out of her eyes. And what beautiful eyes they were: big and round and the most lovely, deep chocolate color I've ever seen. She was pale, but not in a ghostly white fashion. Instead, her skin looked like a porcelain cream, unblemished by the harmful rays of the sun. Her outfit was alluring, but not in the trashy way of the other bar tenders and waitresses. The light colored jeans and blue sleeveless shirt fit her curves well, but left more to the imagination.

She was small, no make that tiny. So much so that it made the bottles of beer and liquor that she was flinging around as if they weighed nothing, that much more impressive. It was no wonder why all the bar patrons were waiting to be served by her. It was the same reason I was now waiting for her. Her beauty alone would have been worth the wait, but this girl was putting on quite the show.

I finally made my way to the bar directly in front of her. Rowdy people from either side of me were yelling their orders. But the girl looked directly at me with her mesmerizing, chocolate eyes. Suddenly it was as if the world went silent. Her luscious, pink lips moved, but I didn't register any sound coming from them. I just stood there with what could only be considered a goofy grin on my face, the right side of my lips raised in a crooked half smile. Then a drunk stumbled into me from behind, almost spilling his beer down my back, and it was like someone turned the volume up. I could hear again.

"You ok?" I heard a beautiful, worried voice ask. I turned my attention back to the bar to see the girl with the chocolate eyes looking at me, concerned.

"Uh, yeah," I answered. _Smooth_.

"So you gonna order something or just stand there staring?" she asked, gesturing to the crowd around me who was ready to order. I couldn't help but look down at the counter sheepishly.

"Right," I said as I tried to refocus and remember what my friends were drinking. "How about a white Russian, gin and tonic and two Bud Lights?"

The bar tender went to work, starting with the most complex drink first, the white Russian. After expertly mixing everything together, with a few impressive over the shoulder tosses of the Kahlua, she then mixed the gin and tonic before popping the tops on the two beers.

"Anything else?" she asked. I couldn't think of any witty answer, so I simply nodded my head. _Yep, real smooth_.

"Ok, that'll be fifteen bucks," she said after quickly adding together each drink in her head. While I pulled some cash out, I finally got my thoughts together.

"What's your name?" I asked and handed her a twenty dollar bill.

"People round here call me Phoenix," she answered as she put my money in the cash drawer and pulled out my change.

"Yeah, we call her Ph-Phoenix," a drunk a few spots down the bar from me managed to spit out. He looked about my age, maybe a college guy, but he was dressed in work clothes with oil stains and was by himself. Maybe he stopped in for an after work drink, but then again, how in the hell did he get past the waiting list of perfectly dressed patrons outside? "Hey Phoenix, what do ya say we go out to my truck for a little bit?" he asked.

The nerve of this guy! How dare he talk to her like that, like she's a common piece of trash? I gathered myself and started towards the man. But before I could take a complete step, Phoenix had already diffused the situation.

"James, that sounds like fun and all, but what would that nice girlfriend of yours say?" she asked. His face fell, as if he was just remembering something very important. "What was her name again, Vicky?"

His eyes seemed to glaze over a bit, before he began to mumble. "Yeah, my red-headed Vicky. But she's not as pretty as you Phoenix."

"Aw, thanks James," she said easily. "But I think maybe you should head home to Vicky now." She plucked the empty beer bottle from his hand as he stared at her in awe. After an awkward few seconds, at least to me, he finally broke his gaze, nodding and pushing away from the bar.

Coming back to the cash drawer, Phoenix retrieved and handed me a five dollar bill, but I shook my head.

"Keep it," I said.

"Appreciate it," she responded as she smiled and put the five in the tip jar. As she moved to take another order, I blurted out the first thing in my mind.

"So, could I take you out sometime?" I closed my eyes and scrunched my nose in a tight grimace as I realized what I'd just done. _How pathetic could I be_?

I opened my eyes expecting to see her laughing at me. Or better yet, maybe she would be looking at me mortified, ready to call security to escort me out. Instead, she kept mixing her next order, only glancing at me once out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to be… thinking about it.

"Um…" she finally broke her silence. "I'm not really supposed to date customers. Sorry." Oh, well. While I was outright disappointed, I guess it certainly could have been worse.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," I said, managing to maintain a bit of dignity. "Maybe some other time." I started to walk away, but threw in one more sentence just for the hell of it. "I'm Edward by the way."

"Nice to meet you Edward," she said sincerely with another warm smile. I gave her a quick wave before gathering up all the drinks and heading back to my table.

"Geez dude, did you get lost?" Emmett asked as I sat back down and placed the drinks on the table. I didn't think I'd been gone that long, but looking at my watch I was surprised to find I'd been at the bar for almost an hour. Rather than tell them about the girl of my dreams, which they'd never let me live down, I changed the subject.

"Where are the girls?" I asked Jasper. Instead of saying anything, he just turned his head in the opposite direction. My eyes widened as I saw three girls on top of the bar, the shortest, pixie-like girl hanging from a pole. An empty shot glass dangled from her left hand. Alice.

Behind her, our waitress Victoria was acting as Alice's personal cheerleader, egging her on to continue swinging around the pole. Rosalie stood to the side. She probably would have been having a good time if she hadn't been so preoccupied with catching Alice in the likely event that she fell off the bar. Which, by the look of things would be any minute.

"Looks like the birthday girl is enjoying herself," I muttered. Jasper just nodded. Of course, Emmett couldn't just leave it alone.

"She's not the only one enjoying herself," he said as he gestured to the group of men that were starting to gather on the floor beside where the girls were.

"Time to intervene," I said to Emmett, mostly because Jasper was already out of his chair and heading that way. Luckily, we were able to talk Alice down before she either injured herself or started a fight.

As we walked to the bar's exit, I couldn't help but sigh. For the first time ever, I did not want to leave a place like this. And it had nothing to do with the atmosphere or the drinks. Before I walked outside, I glanced once more at the main bar. I couldn't see her, but there was still a large crowd. I caught the glint of a spinning bottle above the patron's heads, followed by a loud group cheer. She was at it again, entertaining the masses.

Stepping outside, I inhaled the brisk night air. I knew then that I would be back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 2- Bella Point of View**

I finally allowed myself to sit at a stool behind the bar and pull my feet up. All of the customers had gone home, the bottles had been capped and put away, and the bars and tables had been wiped down. All that was left to do was take out the trash bags. But some of the other girls could do that. After all, hadn't the bar owner, Bruce, been telling me to delegate more?

I was about to provide just those instructions to the remaining girls, when I heard her annoying voice. As always, it was like nails on a chalk board. Victoria.

"You should have seen him. I swear he was the most gorgeous man in the place tonight," she told the other girls nasally. "And he couldn't keep his eyes off me. I mean he wasn't even trying to be subtle about it."

"Was he the big burly guy with the blonde girl at table eleven," one of the other girls asked.

"No!" she snapped rather rudely. Then she composed herself and pasted a fake smile on her face once again. "He was the tall and brooding one sitting at the back of table eleven. He kept sending his girlfriend away so he could beg me for my phone number."

Table eleven. I scanned the setup and mentally counted the tables until I found number eleven. '_Edward_,' I thought. '_That's funny, I don't remember seeing him with a girl_.' But as ashamed as I was to admit it, Victoria was right on one aspect of her story. He was gorgeous. I wouldn't have hesitated to say he had, in fact, been the most gorgeous man in the joint tonight.

It had been hard enough not to ogle him as he ordered drinks for his table. His bright emerald eyes had been mesmerizing, even in the dim, smoky bar. But I had to remain professional and set a good example. Unlike Victoria. But that didn't stop me from watching him as he walked away to see where he had been setting. I had hoped that he would come back for another round so I could talk to him again, even if it was only in a professional capacity. I had been more than disappointed when I finally caught a break in the action only to look up and find his table empty.

"I finally felt so bad for the guy that I slipped him my number," Victoria's ramblings brought me back to the present. "I'll probably hook up with him just to give him a good thrill." The girls around her giggled. It took everything I had not to be sick.

"Ladies, let's get all the trash outside so we can go home," I interrupted as I stood from my stool, not wanting to hear anymore. They all scattered to different areas of the bar, though I noticed the glare that Victoria shot me as she walked away. I could have sworn I heard her mutter something about me being an old maid. In any other area of my life, I would have been upset about her attitude toward me. But this was my job. I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to get work done and get a paycheck.

As the girls finished with all the trash, I opened the main register. All of the other cash drawers had already been combined with this one. It was my job at the close of each night to count the cash and split it. Half went into the bar's safe in Bruce's office, the other half was taken to the bank the next morning to be deposited.

By the time I had finished counting the cash and filled out the appropriate paperwork, all of the other girls had gone home for the night. After placing the cash in two pouches, I walked back to the main office and knocked.

"Come in," I heard Bruce call from behind the door.

"Hey," I said as I walked in. Luckily, Bruce wasn't one for chit chat. So I kept going past him to the safe in the back of the room.

"Good night?" he asked as he reviewed paper work at his desk. He was middle-aged and sported the beginnings of a bald spot in the middle of his dyed black hair. You couldn't help but notice because Bruce spent so much time hunched over a desk, worrying about the administrative dealings of the bar. I had hoped that by taking on extra work helping Bruce with the bar's paperwork and inventory that it would allow him some breathing room. Instead, he found other things to fret about.

"Yeah, even better than last Friday night," I answered as I locked one of the pouches in the safe.

"Cool," he said without even looking up. "Be sure Jacob escorts you home."

"Yes, Dad," I teased while I waved good-bye and walked out of the office. I heard Bruce chuckling from his desk. As if on cue, Jacob was waiting for me when I got back to the bar.

"'Bout ready, Bells?" he asked as he stood from the bar stool. It never ceased to amaze me just how tall Jacob Black was. Most guys hit their growth spurt around 17 or so. But it seemed that Jacob just kept on growing, even though he was now 21. Of course, it didn't help that I was no bigger than an overgrown shrimp.

"Yeah, Jake," I said as exhaustion finally began to set in. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. "Let's go."

Jacob Black was the bouncer at the Blue Moon. He was also my best friend. I got him this job as soon as he turned 21 and was old enough to work at a bar. That was about 9 months ago, though it seemed more like light years. Since then his long, dark hair had been sheared close to his scalp. It was a requirement for his firefighter training. But I missed his long hair dearly. It was my Jacob.

We grew up together in a small town south of Seattle. Our dads had been best friends, too. Jacob was two years younger than I and always had the stereotypical crush on the older girl. We tried once during high school to make a go at things, which my dad loved. But I just couldn't look at him like that, he was too much like a brother to me.

Jacob was a member of the Quileute tribe back just outside my hometown. His father had hoped that Jacob would remain on the reservation and assume his natural position as tribal leader when he came of age. Instead, he moved to the city when I came three years ago. I couldn't stay in that little town anymore after… well, it was just time for a change. And while I wanted Jacob to have a life of his own, I was secretly happy that he came with me so I wouldn't be totally alone.

As we stepped out into the cold night, I paused to lock the employee entrance behind me. There was no telling how late Bruce would be and since Jake was leaving there wouldn't be any other security. I looked at my watch. 4:30am. Of course knowing the actual time makes it more real. The exhaustion that had been slowly creeping in was now full blown. My limbs felt suddenly heavy.

"Want me to drive you home?" Jacob asked from beside me. He always was able to pick up on my true feelings.

"Nah," I replied immediately. "I'm good." Besides I really didn't want to have to figure out the logistics of getting my truck home tomorrow.

"Did you hear about that girl from Volterra?" he asked. I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

"Is that the new night club over by Pike's Market?" I asked back.

"Yeah," he answered. "One of their cocktail waitresses was attacked in the parking lot on her way out last weekend." I couldn't help but shiver. Of course, Jacob noticed and put an arm around me. Grateful for the support, I leaned into him. But I still had to guard myself. I wasn't entirely sure how much of Jacob still wished for a more romantic relationship with me. And I didn't want to hurt him by being misleading.

"Promise me you'll be extra careful when I'm not here," he said as he squeezed my shoulder. "That's the third attack in two months."

"I will Jake," I said and tried to reassure him. "You know, something could just as easily happen when you're here as when you're not." Ok, so maybe that wasn't the most reassuring thing I could have said. But it didn't affect Jacob. Instead, it seemed to lighten the mood as he laughed.

"Yeah right," he scoffed as he puffed his muscular chest out a bit. "I'd like to see someone try to get to you through me." Glad he was taking this so seriously. We were now at my old Chevy truck and he opened the door for me after I unlocked it.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked as I buckled my seatbelt.

"Yeah, I traded shifts with Jenny, so I'll be working," I answered and looked back up at him. He gave me his signature smile, his perfectly white teeth in stark contract with his russet colored skin.

"Alright then, goodnight. Drive careful and remember I'll be right behind you," he said as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. The gesture was sweet, but I didn't return it, afraid he might misread my intentions.

I started my truck after he closed my door and I waited for him to start up his own car, an old Volkswagon Rabbit. Once he pulled up behind me, I started the trek home to my apartment. This was our nightly routine. Jacob would escort me to my car and then follow me home and watch to make sure I got safely inside. We went through these motions at Bruce's insistence. After all, I was carrying around quite a bit of cash. But I had the feeling that Jake would have done it anyway. The recent rash of attacks on young females in the city had made him even more overprotective than he usually was.

As the light I was sitting at turned green, I was again reminded of Edward and his startling beautiful eyes. He had seemed so kind, and my jealousy of Victoria's rant surprised me. He deserved better than her. But the truth was that I really didn't know him at all. He might actually like that type of girl. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about the type of man that would like Victoria. Surely, Edward wasn't like that.

I sighed as I pulled into the parking space at my apartment complex. Jacob had followed me through the gates before they closed, as he did every night. He stopped his car in the road behind my truck and watched as I jogged up the stairs to the second floor. After I unlocked my apartment door, I gave him a quick wave before stepping inside and shutting the door behind me. As I locked it, I heard the Rabbit zooming away.

I took another breath and felt a strange emotion. It was almost like despair. Was it? If I didn't know better, I'd almost think that I was sad about declining Edward's offer for a date. I mean it had been quite some time since I had gone out with anyone. But I never had time. And I wasn't one for casual relationships. If I was going to be with someone, I wanted to give it my all. And I couldn't do that until things calmed down. Plus, there was the whole not dating the customers thing. Professionalism. Right.

I had all the reasons in the world not to date. And none of them made me feel any better. I couldn't help but feel I was missing out on something really special. But it was too late now, I'd probably never see him again. And with that, I went to bed with tears in my eyes.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Special thanks to habizmal and oana93 for my very first reviews. Hope you guys like the direction I'm going and keep those reviews coming!**

**Chapter 3- Edward Point Of View**

'_What in the hell is wrong with me?_' I thought as I shook my head for the millionth time today, attempting to forcefully remove the thoughts that had been plaguing me. I sat at my family's baby grand piano, like I did each Saturday, and tried to finish my latest composition. I was so close, and had been looking forward to the free time all week. But this morning I couldn't think of anything but her.

Her porcelain skin that I longed to touch and the depths of her chocolate brown eyes that I wanted to stare into until I was lost had haunted my dreams all night. Well, what few dreams I had since I wasn't able to get much sleep tossing and turning while thinking of her.

'_Stop it_!' I screamed at myself and once again turned my attention to the musical piece before me. After a few failed attempts at further progression, each time the melody coming out all wrong, I slammed my hands down on the keyboard causing a horrible mixture of right and wrong notes.

"That's really not helping my hangover you know," Alice called groggily from behind me as she made her way down the stairs. I turned to see her rubbing the sleep from her eyes and she stumbled on the last step. She was wearing a matching set of silk pajamas, but her hair was sticking every which way and she was still showcasing last night's makeup.

"Morning day-after-birthday-girl," I said with a chuckle and ran my fingers through my messy hair. "How's the head?"

"Ughh, don't remind me. It just makes it hurt more," she answered and held the back of her skull as if for emphasis. "What in the hell did you let me drink last night?"

"It was the usual until you spotted the shots," I said, standing and lightly touching her elbow to lead her into the kitchen. After sitting her on a kitchen stool, I grabbed some Tylenol from the cabinet and poured her a glass of water. "Here, take this and drink the whole glass of water. It will help."

"Thanks," she said as she swallowed both tablets with one gulp of water. "I love it when you go into big brother mode. It's so cute."

Normally I would have playfully smacked her on the arm. But this morning her comment was quite genuine, so I let it go.

"I'm sorry I dragged you to that horrid place last night," she apologized. "I really owe you one for that." I had been complaining all week about her choice of birthday venue, so I shouldn't have been surprised she felt compelled to apologize.

"Actually…" I started, but then closed my lips tightly. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to say to my sister about becoming obsessed with the bar tender.

"What?" she asked as an excited gleam sparked in her eyes. I had only said one word, but already she knew something was up. I decided to take an evasive route.

"Actually, it wasn't that bad," I said, not sure of how convincing I sounded. I moved around the kitchen island to stand next to where she was perched. Leaning forward on my elbows, I turned my head to look at her at eye level while we talked.

"Uh-huh, and exactly how much did _you_ have to drink last night, Edward?' she muttered as she took another sip of water.

"Just diet cola," I replied. "I was the designated driver, after all. And you know I take that job very seriously. Precious cargo you know?" I gently elbowed her in the ribs at my joke. Suddenly, she got a knowing look in her eyes.

"Was it the waitress?" she asked, her voice rising a bit with excitement. My eyes widened in shock as I thought she put two and two together. I mean, I didn't even think she had noticed the brown haired bar tender.

"Funny, I never figured you to like red heads," she continued with a slight frown on her face.

"Wait, redhead? Huh?" I asked confused before realization hit. "Oh, no!" I practically yelled at her with my shock. Normally my sister was right on the money, but today she was way off.

"Whoa, take the noise level down an octane," she said and held her hands up in mock surrender. "Hangover here you know?"

"Sorry," I muttered quietly. "It's just that I couldn't stand that waitress."

"I kind of figured that your looks of horror every time she came around weren't figments of my varying levels of drunkenness," she said. "At least you didn't end up dancing on a pole with her. What was I thinking?"

"I don't think you were," I sympathized. "At least, that's usually the point of drinking, isn't it?"

"Edward Cullen, don't make me bring up events from your birthday past!" she jokingly threatened while pointing her finger at me. Now it was my turn to hold up my hands in defeat.

"No need to dredge up the past, Ms. Grumpy," I said.

"So then why the sudden change of heart, if you didn't really like the bar and despise the overly zealous waitress?" Alice continued in her line of questioning. I should have known my ultra perceptive sister wouldn't let things go. Luckily, I was saved by my own patron saint.

"Good morning you two," Esme said sweetly as she swept into the room. My adoptive mother always had impeccable timing. Her lavender bath robe was tied loosely over her night gown. Her face was clean of makeup, but as usual she had taken time to brush her long, caramel brown hair. She was a rare natural beauty. The kind that other moms envied for her effortless youth. Of course, they tried to play it off once they found out that both Alice and I were adopted. Apparently, adopting children rather than having them biologically was so much easier on your lifestyle and health. If they only knew the various types of hell Alice and I have put our parents through over the years. She kissed the top of my head lightly, and then moved onto Alice.

"How was your birthday celebration dear?" Esme asked. Alice gave me a pointed look to let me know we'd continue our conversation later before happily launching into a recap of the evening for our mother. At least, a recap of what she could remember. I noticed Alice didn't go into details about her bar topping escapades.

"That sounds lovely," Esme responded once Alice was finished. Her tone held nothing but sincerity, even though I knew last night was far from Esme's true idea of fun. She crossed the kitchen to start the coffee maker. "So what do you two plan on doing tonight?"

"Um…" Alice started. It was unusual that the party princess didn't have her entire weekend planned out with a pre-typed agenda. She looked at me with a questioning face.

"Actually," I interjected, "we had so much fun last night we were thinking of going back. Maybe do a little more _dancing_." My last statement was filled with sarcasm that only Alice understood. When Esme turned her back, Alice rolled her eyes at me.

"Well, you two have fun and be careful," Esme said as her motherly instinct took over. "I've read about some people getting into trouble at these local clubs here lately."

Alice and I both reassured her that we were always careful, before Esme poured herself a cup of coffee before heading to the hallway. "Oh and Alice…" she said as she turned to make sure she had my sister's attention. Alice nodded for her to continue.

"Remember that Carlisle and I want to take you and your friends out for a belated birthday dinner just as soon as he gets back in town," Esme explained. Carlisle was a well respected doctor and was constantly being called out of town on consultations and special cases. Right now he was in Mexico City, assisting a colleague of his on cleft palette cases of underprivileged children. "So think about where you want to go. Maybe we can all go to this bar you're so fond of."

With that she breezed out of the room, probably to continue work on her latest interior design project. Esme was a gifted decorator who spent her spare time remodeling her friends' homes.

She was barely out of the room when Alice and I simultaneously burst into uncontrollable laughter. Apparently, she was envisioning the same thing as I was: Esme and Carlisle sitting down for a "nice" evening at the Blue Moon. Somehow I just didn't think it was their cup of tea.

"So maybe you should think of somewhere a bit more appropriate for the family dinner," I said when I finally caught my breath. Alice was still holding her sides, but finally able to talk.

"You think?" she asked sarcastically. Without missing a beat, she asked, "So you gonna tell me why you want to go back to that place tonight or not?"

"Or not," I said without looking at her. I felt her eyes boring into the top of my head, but I refused to meet her gaze. After a few seconds speculation, she finally aligned her unnatural foresight correctly.

"It's a girl isn't it?" she asked. She took my silence as confirmation while I continued to look down, drumming my fingers on the countertop. "But it's not the redhead."

"Absolutely not!" I replied strongly. Alice never did like upsetting me, even when we were kids, so she let it go and changed subjects.

"So what time do you want to go? I need to call Jasper and you need to invite Emmett and Rosalie." And so she went on making our plans, for which I was grateful.

I immediately felt better knowing I would see the girl with the chocolate eyes in just a few hours. I refused to call her Phoenix, because I knew that wasn't her real name. Just because she said that people in the bar called her that didn't mean it was her actual name. So I made that my mission. I would find out the real name that described the most beautiful girl in my world.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. ****J**

**Chapter 4- Bella Point Of View**

I always hated Saturday night shifts. On almost every other night I could go straight from school and into the bar. At least when I had school beforehand, I didn't have time to slow down and think about things. But on Saturdays I had the opportunity to lie around and be lazy. I was never fully able to relax and enjoy the day knowing that I had to get up and go into work. And then I had to drag myself off the couch, with little hope to motivate myself for working. It made the works hours seem longer, somehow.

When I got into the bar, I was met by a frantic Bruce. Apparently an order of very expensive tequila for an upcoming private party got messed up. Bruce never could handle crisis situations very well. So I stepped in to help, earning grateful looks from both Bruce and the unsuspecting delivery guy. I guess that's why Bruce pays me the big bucks. '_Yeah right,' _I thought.

So instead of manning my usual post at the main bar, I was stuck back in the stock room, sitting cross legged on the hard floor counting bottles of Petron. If you had asked me what I liked about my job while I was at the bar, I would have probably said something lame like the 'sense of control.' But stuck in the back room all by my lonesome, I had to admit I actually missed my customers. I was becoming more of a people person than I wanted to admit.

I took a break as my cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. It was a text message, from Jacob.

_You here? J_

I quickly texted him back as I stood up and shook out me left leg, which was asleep.

_Yeah, in the back room. B_

The texts kept rolling as I finished up with the paperwork and stocking the shelves.

_Geez kiddo, next time tell me where you are. Thought someone snatched you on my watch. J_

_Sorry old man. Next time I'll send you my schedule for the night. B_

_Better get up here soon. The regular's been asking for ya, plus some new guy. Your fan base is growing. J_

_Don't hate the player, hate the game. B_

_Ha! You wish you had game! J_

I rolled my eyes as I brushed my backside off and headed to the front of the club. My back was sore from bending over boxes for the past hour and a half, so I stretched my arms above my head after I closed the employee door behind me. Because my stretch lifted me onto my toes, I could see above the heads of some of the shorter customers standing in the bar. Enough so that I could see Victoria's flaming red hair bouncing animatedly next to a familiar face. A familiar face that did not look entertained. Edward.

After my stretch finished, I could no longer see them. My curiosity got the better of me, so I moved closer to spy some more. I finally found a good vantage point a few tables closer to the group. Edward sat at a bar table with two other couples. I swear my heart skipped a beat at the thought that he might be single. But Victoria was trying to put a damper on that situation.

I was about to leave well enough alone when I caught sight of Edward's face. He was trying to find interest in anything but Victoria. His eyes pleaded with his companions, who kept trying to distract the annoying red head with a drink order. But she paid them no mind. If I hadn't already been so irritated about her hitting on Edward, I would have been pissed about her not doing her job.

Without warning, Edward looked up and caught me staring at him. I blushed and looked down, thankful that he probably couldn't see the blood rushing to my cheeks through the dim and smoke filled light of the bar. With my face still pointing downward, I glanced back up at the scene from underneath my lashes. Edward had stood from his barstool, still looking at me through the passing crowd. But Victoria blocked any chance of his escape.

My boldness surprised me. Before I realized what I was doing, I had already closed the distance between myself and Victoria. The bar was operating at its usual, noisy level, so I tapped her on her shoulder pointedly rather than yelling to get her attention over the noise. The fake smile disappeared from her face as she turned to me.

"What?" she shrieked. So much for not yelling. I pasted a smile on my face as sweetly as I could, but it felt more like a grimace.

"Oh, I was just trying to get around you. You're blocking my way," I explained as I gestured toward Edward with my head. I was trying to be subtle, but that wasn't exactly Victoria's specialty.

"What?" she repeated, this time more confused and less demanding. I didn't feel like playing charades with Victoria, so I just brushed past her and squeezed in front of Edward.

"Hey!" I said as I kissed him on the cheek. I could feel Victoria's eyes shooting daggers at me from behind as she inhaled sharply. But I paid her no mind as I stared into the beautiful emerald eyes that consumed my thoughts and dreams all last night. They now held an amused sparkle. He played along perfectly and held my hand with his own, entwining our fingers.

"Hey," he said just loud enough for me to hear.

"Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?" I asked, though it was loud enough for everyone at the table to overhear.

"Yeah, of course," he said as he smiled crookedly. It was the same smile that I thought was so cute on him the night before. I heard a low growl come from behind me and turned in time to see Victoria stalk off.

"Damn it!" the girl from behind me shouted. "She still didn't take our drink orders!" I couldn't help but giggle at this tiny, pixie-like girl sitting across the table about to throw a fit like an angry three-year-old.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it for you," I said and the angry pixie beamed at me. "What'll you have?" I expected each person to relay their drink orders to me. Instead the pretty petite with the spiky, almost black hair rattled off each person's preferences. Her own, a Stella Artois draft beer, two Heinekens for her boyfriend and the other guy at the table, and a cosmo for the pretty blond on his arm. The only objection came from Edward when she tried to order him a Sex on the Beach. He opted for a Bud Light instead.

"How do you remember all of that?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow at her.

She tapped her temple with her index finger and said, "I just know."

"Mhmm, maybe I should offer you a job," I said with a chuckle. "It'd be loads better than the caliber of workers we've got now." Everyone laughed as I nodded in the direction Victoria had walked off. "I'll be right back with those drinks."

Edward started to move with me, but the pixie beat him to the punch. "I'll come with you!" she said excitedly and hopped down off her bar stool. Edward looked disappointed, or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. But the tiny girl weaved her arm through mine and it was impossible not to be affected by her enthusiasm. I found myself grinning widely, as she drug me back toward the main bar.

I didn't think about the large crowd until I was already back to my normal spot behind the bar. As I peered through the people pressed tightly against the front side of the main bar, I caught Jacob's eye and waved to him where he stood near the front door. He smiled back and nodded.

"Excuse me," I heard a twinkling voice ring above the noise. The girl had pushed her way to the front of the crowd to stand directly in front of me. Where most people would have incited a riot for skipping to the front of the crowd, she had charmed her way through without a second glance. Everyone seemed happy to step aside. Like I said, she had an infectious personality. I'd definitely have to offer her a job.

"I'm Alice by the way," she said as I poured the vodka for her friend's cosmo.

"Nice to meet you," I replied and leaned over the countertop closer to her. I lowered my voice and said, "I'm Bella, but don't tell anyone I told you that." I winked and returned to mixing the drink, causing her to laugh.

"So what should I call you then?" she asked.

"Everyone here calls me Phoenix," I answered and sat the cosmo on the bar.

"Oh, that's so cool!" she exclaimed. I chuckled, never really liking the fact that I had to pretend to be someone else when I worked at the bar. But it was as much of an illusion as it was a safety measure.

"Yeah, well be thinking about what you want your name to be so you're ready when I call you with that job offer," I said, only half joking. I held a pilsner underneath the draft spout and began to pour Alice's beer. I looked up at her and smiled to see her eyes slightly unfocused. No doubt, she was already deep in thought as to what her make-believe name should be. She snapped to attention when I placed the draft in front of her.

"So, are you really having lunch with my brother?" she asked expectantly. I had been so involved in conversation with Alice that I had almost forgotten about the scene that occurred just minutes ago.

"Edward's your brother?" I asked, to which she nodded. "Funny, I don't see much resemblance."

"That's because we're both adopted," she explained easily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I replied quickly, embarrassed that I brought up such a touchy subject.

"Don't worry about it," she assured me. "Really, it's a good thing. We have the best family you could imagine. We're really lucky to have them."

I was instantly jealous that she could talk about her family with such ease and happiness. My story was completely different, but I tried not to think about it too often. It didn't do any good anyway.

"Well, I'm sure they feel the same about you," I said sincerely, doubtful that anyone could not love Alice and her bubbly personality. I went back to the cooler to get the remaining beers.

"So where are you two going to go?" she asked, bringing me back to her original question.

"Um, I'm not sure we're really going anywhere," I admitted. Alice got a confused look on her face, so I quickly clarified. "I mean, I only said that because I could see Victoria was harassing him. He looked like he could use some help. I'm not even sure he would really want to go out with me."

"Oh, please!" Alice cried. "Did you not see how happy he was when you interrupted her? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were the reason he wanted to come back here tonight." Now it was my turn to look confused, but I didn't get to ask her what she meant before Edward appeared.

"Alice, quit bugging the girl," he chastised, though it seemed strategically done to prevent her from elaborating on her last statement. I popped the top on a Bud Light and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said and took a drink from the bottle while I uncapped the final two bottles of beer.

"Good timing," I said. "Alice probably needs help taking this all back to your table."

"Nope!" she said and easily fit the two bottles of beer in the curve of her arm, leaving each hand open to carry the draft and cosmo. "Edward, pay the lady please," she called behind her without a backward glance as she slipped through the crowd back to her table.

"How much do I owe you?" Edward asked as he removed his wallet from his pocket. But I raised my hand to stop him.

"It's on the house," I said. Edward's lip set in a straight line as he shook his head sternly. It wasn't right for that beautiful face to feature anything but a smile, so I quickly reassured him. "Seeing the look on Victoria's face when you played along was more than enough payment."

Edward thought about it a moment and then said, "Ok, but only if I can pay for lunch tomorrow."

"Oh, you don't have to take me to lunch. It was rude of me to use that as an excuse…" I started, but Edward wouldn't have it.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he warned, but I could tell he was fighting a smile as the corner of his mouth lifted. Like I said, I would do anything to see that smile. He sensed my hesitation and the hint of his happiness disappeared momentarily before he quickly added, "It would be strictly as friends though."

"Um… sure," I finally said, more than a bit disappointed at his last thought. But Edward's cool demeanor broke as his full smile appeared, revealing a dazzling set of perfect, sparkling white teeth. Relief flooded through me as I would rather have that smile and his friendship than nothing at all.

"Great!" he said enthusiastically. It was almost as if he wasn't sure whether or not I would really accept his invitation to lunch. Like I really had a choice. "So what type of food do you like?"

"I like Italian," I answered a little too quickly, then smiled to myself. He didn't yet know my real name, but this was like my little hint to him.

"Have you ever been to Maurice's on East Linden Street?" he asked.

"No, but I've heard it's really good," I answered while I restocked glasses beneath the bar.

"How about you meet me there at noon tomorrow?" he asked. I was simultaneously disappointed and relieved when he didn't ask for my number or home address. Disappointed because… well, he didn't ask. Relieved because it would be less awkward if this didn't work out.

"Works for me," I said and smiled at him. But my poor attempt at flirting was cut short by one of my ever so classy regulars.

"Hey Phoenix! Will you finally take my drink order if I offer to buy you dinner too?" a familiar man called from a few spots down the bar, waving some cash in my direction.

Without breaking eye contact with Edward, I responded with what I hoped to be venom in my voice, "Keep your panties on Larry, I'll be right with you."

Edward snorted and almost coughed up the swig of beer he'd just taken.

"I'll let you get back to work then," he finally said. Always the gentleman. "See you tomorrow…" He didn't seem to finish his sentence, as if he wasn't sure what to call me. Come to think of it, I couldn't remember him calling me Phoenix once since I told him that was my name the night before. It was probably a good thing. I would have felt guilty hearing it from his lips.

"See ya," I said and watched as he slipped back into the crowd. When I couldn't see him anymore I turned back to Larry the leech.

9


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Thanks to everyone that has been reading so far. I'm really excited about the number of hits its been getting and really appreciate the people who have taken time to write reviews so far. Y'all are keeping me motivated to finish this story! So keep reading… and tell a friend!**

**UPDATE 12/29/09: A few minor updates to this chapter to include what Bella is wearing. Thought it was important to add in order to further outline how differently these two characters see each other, and themselves. Links to the outfits have been added to my profile. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5- Bella Point Of View**

I had that internal debate that every other person has on their first date. At least, I'm pretty sure almost everyone else has it. It's not like I have a long list of dating experience to pull from.

No, I'm not talking about what to wear. Although I must say I did give it more thought than I usually do. But my real struggle was to decide at what time to arrive at the restaurant. If I showed up too early, as I was normally apt to do, then I might seem too anxious. Desperate even. But if I was "fashionably late" then it might appear that I don't care. And I certainly didn't want Edward to think that.

I finally settled on arriving exactly at noon. After giving up on my clothes (I ended up sticking with a comfortable outfit: dark navy jeans, pink tank top under a warm gray hoodie with floral print and fleece lined winter boots- pink and floral aren't my usual pick, but these were a gift from Jacob so I kept them for "sentimental" reasons) I headed out. Maurice's was easy to find, located on the less busy end of East Linden Street, just like Edward said. It was a in a small, brick building. If I hadn't been looking for it, I would have missed it. In fact, I was positive I had driven past this very spot countless times before and had indeed never noticed it. The sign above the door was old and hung a little crookedly.

'_Just like my favorite smile on a certain someone_,' I thought before chastising myself. '_Geez, I've totally lost it!_'

I had overestimated the time it would take me to get to the café based on traffic or the lack thereof, arriving a few minutes earlier than I wanted. So I sat in my truck until my watch showed straight up noon before going in, thinking through last night's events while I waited. I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered the look on Victoria's face when I pushed past her to get to Edward. Normally, it just wasn't in me to be rude to someone. But for her, I'd gladly make the exception again and again.

My smile and light-as-a-feather feeling quickly faded, though, when I remembered this was to be a "friendly" lunch. I tried to reassure myself that this was a good thing. The little voice in my head reminded me that I didn't really have any friends other than Jacob, so this would be healthy for me. '_Of course, you don't have a boyfriend either_,' I thought before I could stop myself. I forcefully shook my head to rid it of the thought before finally getting out of my truck.

After walking through the front door, I gave the restaurant a quick scan. Relief washed through me and a huge smile covered my face when I saw Edward already there, sitting in a corner booth. He smiled when he saw me, too, and like the gentleman he was quickly proving himself to be, stood when I approached.

I couldn't help but look him up and down as he stood there. He almost looked like a different person without the distractions of the club to detract from his appearance. But that was a good thing. Instead of being just gorgeous, he now looked like a Greek god, a perfect statue carved from the most skilled of artisans, standing right before me. He wore a pair of faded black jeans, crisply pressed and obviously tailored to his height. A navy button down, left untucked, and black loafers completed the look.

But the clothes were just the icing on the cake. The real treat was what lay underneath, the real Edward. His face was angular in all the right places and soft in the others. Standing in adequate lighting, his perfectly messy hair was a unique brown, with varying bits of copper highlights strewn throughout. And the eyes, oh the eyes. They were an even brighter green than I remembered, putting all the lovely buildings of the Emerald City to shame. Come to think of it, I was feeling a bit like I was in Oz. These past two days had been strange, whirlwind of events indeed.

My insecurity about the entire situation grew as I got closer to Edward. Taking in his appearance closer up, I couldn't help but think about how I looked compared to him. He was so beautiful in every way. And I… well, I wasn't ugly. But plain was certainly not the term that should be used for a girl that is dating, er, uh even friends, with Edward.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to greet him with a hug or a kiss on the cheek, or shake his hand. But then I remembered we were supposed to be here as friends, so I opted to just sit down. Unfortunately, I tripped on the way to the booth. I tried to play it off like I fell into the seat with more force than was needed. But more of my butt landed off the edge of the seat than on it. I had to grip the edge of the table, effectively rattling salt and pepper shakers and such and blowing my cover. I blushed as I looked down at my death grip.

"Hi," I said, embarrassed at my little show. I looked up to see Edward's hand extended toward me as if he had tried to catch me. Little did he know that I was used to fumbling like this and was sometimes even successful in saving myself from bodily harm, like now.

"Glad you could come," he said and retook his seat. He glanced to my right and I followed his gaze to notice a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the table. They were an artful mix of peach colored roses tipped with burgundy, calla lilies, and mossy fern leaves. I raised my eyebrow questioningly as I looked back at him.

"For me?" I asked.

"Of course," he replied before hastily adding, "Friends can give each other flowers, right?"

"If so, then I've been cheated by my other friends," I joked as I picked up the lovely bouquet and inhaled its fragrance deeply. The roses had a sweet fragrance and helped to settle my frazzled nerves, at least a little bit.

The waitress arrived then to give us our menus and take our drink orders. I ordered a coke and Edward asked for the same.

"So, what's good?" I asked Edward as the waitress walked away to get our drinks.

"I like their chicken parmigian," he offered. I wasn't so sure I was in the mood for something fried and heavy, so I scanned the vegetarian entrees. My mind was made up as soon as I saw my favorite on the list, mushroom ravioli. Edward eyed me as I quickly put my menu back on the table.

"That was quick," he said.

"What can I say," I answered. "I know what I like." We sat for another moment in comfortable silence as I let Edward continue perusing the menu for his selection. Before he could put down his menu, the waitress returned.

"Here are your cokes," she said as she set a glass in front of each of us. She then pulled a pad from her apron and a pen from behind her ear. "Do you know what you'd like to order?"

"Ladies first," Edward said as he nodded at me.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli," I said and handed her my menu. Edward had a surprised look on his face which he quickly replaced with a smile.

"Make that two," he said as the waitress turned to look at him.

"Well, you're making my job much too easy, hon," she said and smiled at him. And she kept smiling and staring just a few moments to long for my taste. I didn't realize I was glaring at her until she had turned and walked out of sight. Edward's chuckling broke me from my thoughts. I realized I had been caught and I blushed. Luckily he changed the subject, sort of.

"So, mushroom ravioli, eh?" he asked. I simply nodded, so he continued, leaning forward so that I would hear him even though he lowered his voice. "It's my favorite too." He said it like it was a deeply held secret. Even though I knew he was joking, my heart rate sped up at the prospect of knowing all of Edward's secrets. I felt like I needed to reciprocate. Surely I could find one itsy bitsy, harmless little secret to tell him?

Luckily, I didn't have to think long before Edward gave me the out I needed. "So am I correct to assume that Phoenix isn't your real name?" he asked. "I mean, not that it's not lovely, but you don't really strike me as a Phoenix."

"You mean you don't think it's exotic?" I asked facetiously, rolling my eyes to exaggerate my point.

"Like I said, it's lovely, but…" he reassured me.

"Don't worry, I hate it," I admitted.

"Then why do you go by it?" he asked and took a sip of his Coke. I paused for a minute to think about my answer. I was putting a lot of trust in him by explaining this. We were supposed to keep our real identities a secret from customers. But it wasn't like I was Batman or anything. So I decided that when in doubt, just tell the truth.

"It helps keep maintain an illusion for customers," I explained. "We take on alternate personalities to encourage customers to escape, let loose, and have a good time. Plus, it's for safety. I mean you don't see strippers going around by their real names do you?"

I was joking, but Edward blanched. He muttered something along the lines of "I wouldn't know…"

"Right," I said, but laughed so he'd know I was joking. I wasn't the type of girl to think less of a guy just because he'd been to a strip club before. I could have teased him a little more about it, but I was feeling generous today. So I let it go and took a sip of my coke.

"So are you going tell me?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Tell you what?" I asked, a bit confused.

"What your real name is?" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh!" I responded, embarrassed. I swear, my physical limitations due to my clumsiness were nothing compared to my often occurring brain lapses. "Sorry. It's Bella."

Edward's tiny smirk grew to his full blown smile as he repeated, "Bella…" I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or not. He kind of had that far away look in his eyes. But he finally returned his gaze to me and softly said, "Thanks."

God help me, I blushed. I wasn't sure what it was about this man that made me lose control of my blood flow. But even though it was embarrassing, I wouldn't trade it for anything. When I was around Edward, my blushes were directly correlated with my happiness.

Luckily, our waitress had impeccable timing and chose that moment to check in on us, thus eliminating what could have been an awkward moment. After we assured her we were fine and she left to check on our food, I stood from the table.

"Restroom break," I explained when Edward also stood, always the gentleman, with a confused look on his face.

"Oh," he said and smiled.

"And when I get back it's my turn," I said and turned to head to the restroom.

"Your turn to what?" Edward asked from the table.

"My turn to ask the questions," I called over my shoulder, without looking back.

**Chapter 5 Cont'd- Edward Point Of View**

I watched in a stunned silence as she walked off. I couldn't believe I was on a date with this incredible girl. And though it frustrated me that I couldn't officially call it a date without the fear of scaring her off, I was still extremely content to be in her presence.

I knew I was pushing my luck last night by pressing her to go ahead with our lunch plans. After all, she had only thrown the idea out there as a form of mercy, to get me off the hook with Victoria. A gentleman should have been grateful for her assistance and left the poor girl alone. But I was quickly finding out that my actions around her were, time and time again, less gentlemanly and more selfish. I just couldn't seem to help myself with her.

And so when I had asked her one final time last night to have lunch with me and she hesitated, I immediately clarified that we could meet as friends. I thought my heart would break in two as I forced the words to leave my mouth. But I would gladly accept her friendship when the alternative was to never get to know her.

Her astounding beauty threw me when she came into the restaurant. It was like seeing her for the first time all over again, this time without the smoky atmosphere of that wretched bar marring her beautiful features. It was like a haze had been lifted from my eyes and I was just now seeing her clearly. Her long hair wrapped gently around her shoulders, the lights of the restaurant highlighting the shine of her brown strands. Her big, doe sized chocolate brown eyes looked that much darker against her fair skin.

Her outfit was completely different than what I had seen her wearing in the bar. Don't get me wrong, I love a form fitting outfit on a gorgeous girl as much as the next guy. But those clothes didn't tell me anything about who Bella really was. Today, she looked cute but comfortable in her dark jeans and hoodie. I could tell she liked to be feminine, but not too girly, from the mostly muted colors of her clothes. But she had a little bit of pink peeking out from a top underneath her hoodie. And finally, the boots. They said she was practical, dressing for the always unpredictable Seattle weather. It was a simple outfit that was perfect for her.

But my favorite thing was her blush. It was coming more often now, and it was almost like a game for me to try and bring it around. Bonus points if it was accompanied by a smile. I hadn't really noticed the blush in the bar, but I was quickly finding out there was a lot about this intriguing girl I had missed.

And now she had begun to place her trust in me. She told me her name. Bella. A name as lovely as the girl herself. It was perfect for her. I know learning someone's name should have been the most basic thing. It was usually the first thing you learned about someone when you met them, after all.

But Bella's situation was unique. Using a pseudo-name was a job requirement. And a safety measure. It was obvious she had built up walls to protect herself. And whether those walls were purely self-inflicted or simply required by her employer, I still felt a great sense of pride that she had let me inside.

As soon as she was back within view, I immediately stood. It was if I was attuned to her very presence. She smiled when she saw me and my heart soared. Her happiness was my happiness. '_Boy, I've got it bad_,' I thought and I promised that I would tone it down around Bella. Now that I had her in my life, I didn't want to scare her away.

I laughed out loud as Bella, preoccupied with smiling at me, walked right into an unsuspecting waiter carrying a large tray of dishes. They clattered loudly, but luckily did not crash to the ground. Bella apologized profusely to the waiter and, surprise, blushed a deep red. After the waiter reassured her that he did not need her assistance, she slumped her shoulders in defeat and continued back to our table.

Fortunately, this time she was able to safely seat herself in the booth. I would have stood upon seeing her anyway, but this time I was prepared to catch her if necessary. I felt strangely protective of her, having the odd feeling that she could use the help. There had been so much already that surprised me about her, and this was no different. It was shocking how clumsy she seemed today when at the bar she had a grand air of self confidence and wielded dangerous glass bottles with ease. Maybe she was just having an off day.

"Are you alright?" I asked, choosing to not embarrass her further by teasing her. She looked at me gratefully.

"Yeah," she answered and quickly changed the subject. "So where were we?"

"I believe you said it was your turn to ask the questions," I replied, but continued before she could launch into her interrogation. "But I'd like to suggest a compromise."

Bella looked at me cautiously. "What type of compromise?"

"How about a good, old-fashioned game of twenty questions?" I offered. "That way we can both learn about each other." She bit her lower lip and hesitated. She seemed truly torn, and I couldn't imagine what could be so interesting about me that she would want to know. I could tell she was on the edge, so added some sugar on top when I smiled and asked, "Please?"

A bright smile lit up Bella's face and she nodded enthusiastically, as if the whole thing had been her idea. "Ladies first," I said.

She thought for a few seconds before asking, "What do you do?"

"I'm a full time student at the University of Washington," I answered. "Pre-med. What about you? Somehow I don't think pouring drinks is your sole purpose in life."

"You're right about that," she said sternly and took another sip from her coke. "Actually, I'm a student at the University of Washington, too. Only part time though. It's all I can afford right now."

I felt terribly guilty. I had never really had a serious job, not one meant to pay my bills anyway. I was beyond blessed with the fact that Carlisle and Esme could easily provide for me, allowing me the luxury of focusing solely on my college education. If I had thought she would accept it, I would have offered to write Bella a check to pay for college expenses right then and there. But I was positive she would never allow that.

"What are you majoring in?" I asked and continued the conversation.

"Psychology," she answered. "I want to go into social work. Help people someday, you know."

I'm sure my mouth was hanging open, but I couldn't help it. The beautiful girl with the beautiful name was a saint, too. What on Earth had I done to deserve her walking into my life?

"Funny we've never seen each other on campus before," she continued, either not noticing my gaping or choosing to ignore it. I was grateful either way.

"It is a pretty big campus," I suggested. "And we're not in the same majors."

"I guess so," she conceded. "Your turn."

I immediately knew what I was going to ask about. "How did you learn bartending?" She smiled and I was glad I'd asked. It was obviously a good story.

"When I was growing up my mom always jumped from one hair brained idea to another," she explained. "One week she'd be all about sky diving, but halfway through she'd remember that she was afraid of heights. And planes."

I chuckled as she continued. "So then she'd move on to joining a book club, or martial arts, or whatever. One week she came home with a 'teach yourself to bartend' video series. I think she had just watched the movie Coyote Ugly."

I laughed again and this time she joined me. "I was really trying to encourage her to stick with something for more than a week, so I offered to learn with her. You know, as a sort of mother-daughter bonding experience." A strange expression crossed her face momentarily before her smile reappeared. It was so quick I wondered if I had imagined it. She started talking again before I could ask.

"It worked, for a while at least. It was certainly longer than anything else she had attempted. At the point she moved on though, I was actually a couple of videos ahead of her," she explained, although at this point I was still confused. She couldn't have been more than fifteen when this part of the story occurred. As if reading my mind, Bella went on.

"I ended up mixing drinks for my friends throughout high school. They thought it was cool and it was the perfect excuse to get myself out of drinking, since I was busy mixing for everyone else. When I turned eighteen, my guidance counselor gave me this whole speech of finding a job where my natural talents lie. I remembered the video series and ended up reviewing them again. There was a website you could go to and receive certification. And the rest is history," she finished.

It was a quick story, but it explained a lot. Especially as to how she got so good at such a young age. If she'd been doing this regularly since she was about fifteen, then that meant she'd been bartending for at least six years.

"How old are you?" I asked to confirm my thoughts.

"Uh-uh," she said and shook her head. "It's my turn to ask a question."

I raised my hands in surrender. "By all means, go ahead." Once again, she bit her bottom lip and thought hard. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly just before she spoke.

"So… how old are you?" she asked sheepishly without meeting my eyes.

"I just turned twenty-three," I answered. "And you?"

"Twenty-one." Huh, if she started learning bartending at fifteen, then I was right, she'd been at it for six years. There was only one thing I'd been dedicated to that long. But I wasn't ready to share that just yet.

"You're the same age as my sister, Alice," I told her.

"Ah, Alice," she said and laughed. It was a beautiful sound. "She's quite the character, isn't she?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "You have no idea."

Our waitress arrived with our food then, interrupting our conversation. But it gave me a chance to think about my next question while she placed our plates on the table. I decided to keep it simple.

"So what do you do in your spare time?" I asked as the waitress walked away.

"You mean like a hobby?" she asked, taking a bite of her ravioli.

"Yeah, like a hobby," I said and watched her think about my question for a moment.

"Um, I like to listen to read and listen to music?" she answered, though I wasn't sure why she made it a question.

"You don't sound so sure about that," I said.

"Sorry," she said and laughed. "It's just that I don't seem to do either a lot here lately."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The radio in my truck is busted," she explained, "and I don't have a stereo in my apartment. So really the only music I hear most of the time is what they play at the club. Not exactly my favorite, if you know what I mean."

"What is your favorite type of music," I continued my questioning, hoping she wouldn't bust me for going over my turn in Twenty Questions.

"Oh, I like a lot of different types," she said and took a sip of her coke. "Alternative, classic rock, a little bit of country. I even have my classical favorites."

I cocked my eyebrow at her response. It was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. It was yet another thing I could relate to her about. I opened my mouth to admit to her that I played classical piano, but again I wasn't really ready to reveal that just yet. I wasn't one hundred percent sure why. So I moved on to the second part of her response.

"And why don't you read much lately?" I asked.

"The book store is pretty expensive," she replied honestly, "and I haven't had much free time to get by the library. They're not exactly open when I get home from the bar at 4:00 in the morning." It was a simple enough explanation.

I then noticed that I was almost halfway through with my ravioli, while she had only taken one bite. My questioning was keeping her from eating.

"Ok, your turn," I prompted her to ask her next question so I could do the talking for a while.

We continued the game as we ate our lunches. We continued even after our plates had been cleared. We continued as the wait staff switched shifts. To us, it seemed as if only a few minutes had passed. It wasn't until a new waiter asked us if we wanted to see menus that we realized we had sat there until dinner time later in the evening. Bella covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Interested in mushroom ravioli, round two?" I asked. For the third time today, or tonight, she bit her lip and thought noticeably. She was going to give herself a headache.

"Actually, I should head home," she said, though a bit reluctantly. "I've got homework for a class first thing in the morning and a bit more studying to do."

"Oh, ok," I said. It took every ounce of self restraint I had not to poke out my bottom lip and pout like a child. Or should I say, pout like Alice. But my control was not limitless, and the next words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"So, could I call you sometime?" I asked. Bella froze from digging from her keys out of her purse. My heart stopped, afraid that I had crossed that "friendly" line. Until she looked up at me and smiled.

"I'd like that," she said and instead of keys she pulled a pen and piece of paper from her bag. She quickly scribbled her number and slid it to me across the table. I took the paper and gingerly tucked it into my pocket, treating it like it was the winning lottery ticket. Because to me, it was.

As I looked back up at Bella, I noticed she was staring at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked.

"Um…" She couldn't finish.

"Bella," I said, staring deeply into her eyes and leaning across the table. "You can ask me anything, you know?"

But she just continued staring, with a small smile on her angelic face. Finally, she blinked and seemed to come back to her senses, with yet another blush.

"Um, I was just wondering if I could get your number as well?" she asked. My eyes widened and my breath caught, before the biggest grin spread across my face. I was surprised my cheeks didn't break. I knew I was reading too much into this. After all, she just wanted to be friends. But I couldn't help myself.

"I have a confession to make," I told her, the goofy smile still present even though I should have been a bit embarrassed.

"What?" she asked.

"I already put my number in the flower bouquet," I told her, and this time she was the one to showcase a goofy, yet beautiful smile.

14


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. ****J**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading so far. Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the chapters coming!**

**Chapter 6- Edward Point Of View**

Walking through the University of Washington campus on Wednesday, I was feeling quite a bit overwhelmed. The fall semester had just started the previous week, and already I was loaded down with homework, group assignments and one whopper of a final paper that was to be at least 20 pages. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't taken on extra classes in an effort to finish my pre-med degree early. Since I was going to have to put in at least another four years at med school, I wanted to try and speed up the process. Now I was seriously doubting the validity of my reasoning.

I was walking to the student building at the center of campus to meet up with Alice and our friends for lunch before heading to the tutoring center. This semester I had a Geology lab, which was not my strongest area to say the least. I figured I would get a head start on preparing for my mid-term in order to keep my grade point average up.

Preoccupied with my thoughts, I wasn't paying attention as I rounded the corner of the English building. I walked smack into another student and sent the person flying backwards to land on their butt. Books landed on the sidewalk with a loud thud and papers went flying into the air.

"Oh my God!" I said quickly as I knelt down to help the person up. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." If I thought I was embarrassed by the situation to begin with, I was downright mortified when I focused on the face of the person sitting on the ground in front of me who was examining the light scratches on her hands caused by the fall. Her deep, chocolate eyes looked up at me when she heard my voice.

"Oh, Bella," I said softly and took her wrists gently in my hands to examine her wounds. "I am so, so sorry."

"Edward?" she asked, no longer looking at her palms. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking a short cut to the student center to get some lunch," I answered without looking away from her delicate hands. Her scratches were minor and I didn't think she'd need any medical attention other than a good hand washing and some triple antibiotic ointment. "Do these scratches hurt?"

"No," she replied as her beautiful, red blush appeared. At least that was one good thing that came out of this. She continued as she pulled her hands from mine and started to stand up. "This kind of thing happens all the time. I'm pretty clumsy."

"I'm starting to figure that out," I said jokingly as I supported her right elbow and helped her stand. I took the moment to finally take in her appearance. She wore light gray exercise pants and comfortable looking tennis shoes. A purple University of Washington hoodie completed the look. Her hair fell loosely in gentle waves over her shoulders, held away from her face by a small headband.

The light blush remained on her face. I didn't understand why she was embarrassed since I was the one that knocked her down. As she stood, she dusted off the bottom of her pants and the motion drew my gaze to her curves. My eyes lingered for what was probably a moment too long and Bella noticed.

Her blush intensified and she turned to begin picking up her books and papers in what might have been an attempt to hide her embarrassment from me. I quickly bent to help gather her things.

"Why don't you have a backpack for all of this?" I asked her when she once again had all of her belongings in her arms.

"The main zipper of my backpack broke earlier in the week," she answered, but looked down. "I, uh, haven't had the chance to get to the store to buy another one." It was a logical enough explanation, but I got the feeling that she wasn't telling me everything.

"Again, I'm really sorry I practically plowed you over," I said, hoping she could hear my sincerity. Causing bodily harm was not the way to make a good impression on the girl you liked.

"It's ok," she assured me with a smile. "Like I said, I'm pretty clumsy. If you hadn't bumped into me, I probably would have fallen on my own."

"Still, I feel awful," I said. "Let me make it up to you. Can I buy you lunch right now?" To my relief, she didn't hesitate with her answer.

"Sure," she said with a smile. I smiled back and, without asking, pulled her books and papers out of her arms. Bella opened her mouth, probably to object, but refrained from saying anything when I began walking. Instead, she fell into step beside me.

"It's funny we ran into each other," I said, cringing at my ironic choice of words. "I was actually planning on calling you tonight."

"Oh really?" she asked as she looked up at me curiously.

"Yeah, I was going to see if you might be available to do something this weekend," I explained.

"Oh," she said and her face fell. "Actually, I'm working double shifts Friday and Saturday night."

"Oh," I said and I could feel the smile slipping from my face as well.

"But, I'm off tomorrow night," she said hopefully, "That is, if you want to get together then."

"Great!" I answered enthusiastically. I was happy that she was available, and because she seemed genuinely interested in seeing me by offering an alternative to her busy schedule. "How about I pick you up at five? We could do something fun before dinner."

"Sounds good," she said happily. "I'll write down directions to my place after we get lunch." I nodded and we continued to walk to the student center, chatting about how our week had been so far. We had entered the food court area of the student center when I heard Alice's voice. But she wasn't calling me.

"Bella!" Alice said excitedly as she rushed to the girl at my side. Her loose fitting black dress billowed out to the sides as she ran. The weather was a bit cool for a dress such as that, but I guess that's why she also wore matching gray tights and flats to stay warm. Alice embraced Bella with a giant hug. The brown-eyed girl looked momentarily surprised before smiling and returning the hug.

"It's good to see you again, too, Alice," Bella said with a chuckle.

"We already have a table in the corner," Alice said while gesturing to the far side of the room. "Head over once you have your food."

As Bella walked toward the salad bar, Alice stepped in front of me to block my way. Her glare was directed at me full-force.

"You didn't tell me Bella was joining us for lunch," she said none too happily.

"And you didn't tell me that you already knew Bella's real name," I returned. After much harassing from my sister after our second night at the Blue Moon, I had finally admitted my infatuation for the bar tender and my anxiety over our lunch date on Sunday. My main concern had been learning the girl's real name, to which my sister had remained mum.

"It wasn't my secret to tell," she stated smugly with a tiny smile, lifting her chin and turning to return to the table where Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie already sat. As she walked away, she called over her shoulder, "Besides, I knew it would all work out."

Shaking my head, I joined Bella at the salad bar.

"Sorry, I completely forgot they were going to be here," I said as I spooned croutons over the top of my salad.

"It's ok," she responded. "I really do like your sister. And the others seem really nice, too."

Satisfied, I moved over to find my dressing of choice. After finishing my own piece of edible art, I began toward the check-out and noticed Bella about to pay the attendant for her own salad.

"Wait!" I called as I jogged to where she stood. "I'll be paying for her food along with mine," I explained to the curious attendant, who added my salad to the bill. I quickly paid the lady and placed Bella's salad and bottled water on my tray before starting to our table.

"You'll have to be quicker than that to pull one over on me," I teased her. Bella bit her bottom lip, knowing she'd been caught.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, a tiny grin appearing at the edge of her beautiful lips. When we got to the table, I pulled a chair out for Bella before placing her food in front of her and taking the seat to her right.

"Hey Bells!" Emmett said loudly from his spot at the table. If Bella hadn't been present, I would have made some snide comment about the two-sizes-too-small football shirt he was wearing, the thin fabric threatening to rip at any moment. But I'd lay off the teasing… for now.

"Good to see you again, girl!" he said. Emmett had really liked Bella, even though he had only met her the one time Saturday night. Part of it was because she had given us a round of drinks on the house. But I think the other part was that he was genuinely fond of her. Bella had that affect on people.

"Yeah, nice to see you out in the real world," Rosalie said with a wink from her place at Emmett's side. As usual, Rosalie was dressed impeccably with a form fitting pair of black slacks and matching heels, topped off by a cropped red velvet jacket over a black silk top. She had been impressed by Bella's maneuvering around Victoria, thus ridding the table of her presence.

Bella just smiled in response. I got the impression she was a little embarrassed by the attention. Jasper seemed to notice it as well and, thankfully, changed the subject.

"Bella, I didn't know you attended UW," he stated. "What's your major?"

"Psychology," she answered before taking a bite of lettuce.

"That's what my undergrad focus was too," he replied, careful not to drip barbeque sauce from his sandwich onto his white button down or khaki slacks. He had draped his navy suit jacket over the back of his chair. "Let me know if you ever need any pointers on courses or professors."

"Thanks," she said, a feeling of relief displayed on her lovely face. Her curiosity got the better of her as she asked Jasper about his profession. "I thought you were a police officer? Are you continuing your education?"

"Yes," he explained. "I'm pursuing my master's in Political Science. I want to advance as a Detective and possibly seek a career with the FBI."

"Wow," Bella said, obviously impressed. The conversation continued this way, with each of the other people at the table explaining their choice of educational programs and future career hopes. Alice was in the Fashion Design program, intending to become a fashion buyer when she graduated. Emmett, a member of the UW football team, was in the Physical Therapy program. He hoped to become an athletic trainer with an NFL team. Rosalie was taking courses for mechanical engineering and wanted to design cars for one of the Big Three automakers. If she and Emmett stayed together after graduation, I guess he'd be looking for a job with the Detroit Lions.

I marveled at how easy the interaction was between Bella and my group. It was as if she'd always been there. Like she was meant to be there. The thought made me extremely happy.

"So Edward," Alice's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you and Bella going out again this weekend?" Bella coughed, surprised by Alice's questioning while she took a sip of water.

"Subtlety is not your strong suit," I scolded Alice. "But if you must know, Bella and I will be doing something Thursday night since she has to work the rest of the weekend."

"Aw," she said with a pout on her face. "Well, I was going to see if she wanted to go out to dinner with us when Saturday night after Carlisle gets home."

"I'm sorry, Alice," Bella said, obviously concerned that she had hurt Alice's feelings. "I had to take double shifts this weekend in order to get off next Friday night."

"That's ok," Alice said, her pout already gone as another thought crossed her mind. "Maybe we can come by the Blue Moon after the dinner and keep you company."

"I'd like that," Bella said and then offered, "I'll put you guys on the VIP list so you can sit in the special section of the club."

"Yeah!" Alice said as she clapped and bobbed in her seat with excitement. "So, what's going on next week?"

"Huh?" Bella said, confused by the question.

"You said you had to work this weekend to get next Friday night off," Alice reminded her.

"Oh, right," Bella answered, a frown appearing on her face. I was immediately on alert, not wanting anything to make this beautiful and sweet girl unhappy.

"Well, its kind of my birthday," she said, the frown deepening further.

"That's a good thing, right?" I asked and moved my hand to rub soothing circles on her back. She paused a moment as if distracted by my actions before continuing.

"Sure, I guess," she said. "It's just that every year I do something with my best friend, Jacob. But he just found out that he has to go down to Portland that weekend for his final training course to be a firefighter. So I guess I shouldn't have taken off work after all."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. _She_ felt bad for taking off work on _her_ birthday? Once again, Bella was proving just how selfless she really was. I couldn't help but be in awe of the person she was. She was just so… good. I couldn't find the words to begin to convey how I felt. But, luckily Alice was never at a loss for words.

"Oh that's great!" Alice exclaimed.

Bella just looked at my sister as if she had spoken a foreign language. Normally I was good at translating Alice's outburst. I was practically fluent in the language she so often spoke in her own little world. But this time I was like Bella. Completely and utterly confused.

"I mean, it's not good that your usual plans won't work out," Alice quickly corrected. "But now we can throw you a birthday party!"

The look of fear on Bella's face was comical. Most people would love to have a birthday party thrown in their honor. But I was quickly learning to anticipate Bella's reactions, and I knew she wouldn't want to be the center of attention.

"Alice, you really don't have to do that," she said slowly. "I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble."

"Oh, please," Alice easily brushed her off. I could tell the party planning wheels were already turning in her head. "It won't be any trouble at all. We could have the party at our house, I'm sure Esme and Carlisle won't mind at all. And it could have a pink theme. I'm going to have to hurry to get invitations printed and order a cake…"

And just like that, Bella lost control of the situation. I felt it was only fair to warn her.

"You know, it would be a lot less painful to just step back and let Alice have her way," I leaned over and whispered in Bella's ear. "The good news is that Alice is actually quite the party planner. You won't have to lift a finger."

I smiled at her and, after taking a deep breath, she smiled back.

"The trick is," I continued to whisper, "to make your demands up front."

"Demands?" she asked.

"It's the only way you can get Alice to compromise," I explained. Bella seemed to understand and nodded.

'Um Alice," Bella interrupted my sister who had already pulled out a pad of paper and started making party planning notes. She didn't stop writing, but nodded to acknowledge she was listening.

"Well, I'm not really a pink kind of girl," Bella started.

"Ok, no pink," Alice said and scratched something off her list. Encouraged, Bella continued.

"And no presents," she said. At that, my head snapped up. I was actually looking forward to buying something for Bella, though I had no idea what said gift would actually be. Alice's bottom lip began to poke out again in another of her infamous pouts. But Bella spoke again before Alice could start.

"You see, no one's ever really thrown me a party before," she explained. "So everything you'll be doing will be present enough." I was impressed by how quickly Bella was learning to rein in my sister. Alice smiled, pleased that she would be the first to do something so special for Bella.

"Fine, no _paid_ gifts," Alice responded in her typical fashion. She could always find a loophole. But I didn't say anything because I wanted to find a way to give Bella a gift, too.

"Bella, do you have a formal dress?" Alice asked. Once again, Bella's eyes went wide with fear.

"No, why?" she asked the tiny pixie.

"Oh, goodie!" Alice exclaimed as the rest of the table groaned and chuckled. Bella looked around at all of us curiously. Before I could explain, Alice uttered her most favorite words in the English language.

"We get to go shopping!" Alice finished as Bella looked at me with a look of pure terror.

10


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 7- BPOV**

Once again, I found myself preparing for a date with Edward. The thought alone gave me goose bumps and I realized it was nothing short of a miracle that I was able to form coherent sentences while I was around him. As it was, a single touch from him could wipe any and all thoughts from my mind, as was proven yesterday after he knocked me flat on my butt. As soon as he held my hands gently in his, I forgot about the pain from my fall and scraped palms. And I won't even mention what it did to me when he leaned over and whispered in my ear during lunch.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry about what to wear in order to impress him. Edward called earlier in the day to confirm our date and instruct me to wear comfortable clothes that I didn't mind "getting a little dirty." I questioned his meaning, but Edward refused to tell me anything else about our date.

So I had decided on a comfortable pair of faded blue jeans and long sleeved, green thermal shirt along with my black Converse sneakers. I didn't bother with too much makeup, just in case there truly was dirt involved in our date. At 5:00 on the dot, a knock at my apartment door made my stomach do flips. I checked my hair in the mirror beside my door before opening it.

"Hi," he said, with his gorgeous crooked smile. It was as if he knew exactly how that smile made me feel. As usual, he looked good enough to eat. I couldn't help but smile back at him as I took in his tall, slender frame while he stood there with his hands held behind his back. Blue jeans and a plain gray shirt fit his form perfectly. He also wore a blue and black plaid jacket… and black Converse hi-tops.

"Nice Chucks," I said appreciatively and chuckled. He looked confused for a minute, probably wondering if I was joking, before noticing my shoes.

"No way!" he said. "That's awesome!"

"Great minds think alike, huh?" I asked.

"Guess so," he answered. "I brought you something." With that he withdrew his hands from behind his back and presented me with navy blue backpack.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, shocked at his kindness. "You really shouldn't have!" Part of me hated that he spent money on me. But another, more selfish part of me was sort of relieved. I had told Edward that I hadn't replaced my backpack because I hadn't yet had time to go by the store. The real truth was that I didn't have much extra cash to spend and a new backpack just wasn't high on my list of priorities right now.

"Don't get too excited," he said and chuckled at my exuberant reaction. "It's an old one I had stuffed at the back of my closet. Thought it might get you through the rest of the semester so you don't have to buy one." It really didn't matter to me that it was used. It just meant so much that he went to the effort.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure, let me just grab my jacket," I said. After getting my coat from the back of the couch, I locked the apartment door and followed Edward downstairs to his silver, two-door Volvo that was parked out front. He opened the passenger door and closed it behind me once I was tucked inside, something that would take some getting used to.

Edward took me just outside the city limits. I was starting to get concerned after being on a two way road in the middle of nowhere. It had been almost 30 minutes since we'd seen another car or house. But just before I spoke up, we passed an old, wooden sign for Happy Times Farm. Edward slowed the car a few feet past the sign and turned onto a dirt road. As I looked at Edward questioningly, he smiled and explained.

"This was one of my favorite places to come to as a kid," he began. "I made my parents bring me here so much that we got to know the owners pretty well. I still stay in touch with them and visit when I can. I thought maybe you'd like it to."

I was truly touched. My favorite part of our first lunch date was learning more about Edward. It made me feel special that Edward was so willing to open up to me and share a part of him with me.

"In fact, they were thrilled when I called to ask if we could come after hours," Edward continued. "They were extremely interested to meet my girlfriend."

And thus began my first blush of the evening. I could feel it creeping up my cheeks and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. I avoided Edward's gaze by looking out the car window at the farm.

As we got out of the Volvo, an older man and woman came down the porch steps of an old, white farm house. They looked to be in their early 60's or so, with well defined wrinkles around their eyes and mouth and graying, almost white hair. The woman had her fine hair pulled back into a bun and wore jeans and a sweatshirt. Faint traces of dirt on her clothes served as evidence of a hard day's work. The man had a pair of round, metal glasses perched on his nose and wore overalls with more obvious dirt stains.

"Edward," the woman said sweetly as she wrapped him in a loving hug. "It's so good to see you." She pulled back enough to look him in the face before pinching his cheek. "It's been too long since your last visit."

"I know Maddie," Edward said, a bit embarrassed from his scolding. "But I'm here now, right?"

"Of course dear," she said before turning to me. "And you must be Bella! Edward told me about you over the phone." Before I could say anything, though, she wrapped her frail arms around me, much more tightly than I would have expected. Over her shoulder I could see Edward shaking hands with the man, each speaking to the other in soft tones as if they knew it was fruitless to talk over Maddie.

"Bella," Edward said as the woman finally released me, "this is Mr. & Mrs. O'Connell, the owners of the farm."

"Please, call me Maddie," she corrected. "And this is Rupert." She gestured to her husband who gave me a shy wave.

"It's very nice to meet you both," I said. "Thank you so much for allowing us to come after hours. I know running a farm like this is hard work and you'd probably like nothing more than to relax right now."

"Oh Edward, you were right about her," Maddie chuckled. "She is much too sweet."

I smiled and glanced at Edward, who was beaming back at me, before looking down at my feet for a second. But Maddie's voice called my attention back.

"Really, it's no trouble dear," she explained. "Edward knows his way around the farm almost better than we do, so you two will have free reign of the place. We'll be heading inside in just a moment. Rupert likes to watch his nightly game shows while I make dinner. Speaking of which, won't you two join us?"

"Actually, Bella and I already have dinner plans after we leave," Edward answered, though I thought staying for dinner with Maddie and Rupert wouldn't have been the worst thing. But then again, having more alone time with Edward wouldn't be so bad, either.

"Maybe next time then?" she asked, but continued on without waiting for an answer. "Well, we'll let you two have at it. Come on Rupert, Wheel of Fortune's starting." The older man nodded at us before shuffling after her up the porch and into the farm house.

"So, you've been talking about me, eh?" I asked Edward teasingly as we turned to each other. The corner of his mouth lifted in response.

"I guess so," he said.

"It better all be good," I told him in a mocking tone.

"Trust me," he said softly and looked into my eyes. "It is." The words were so simple, but when combined with the intensity of his stare and beauty of his jewel-toned eyes, I had to remind myself how to breathe.

"Come on," he said and pulled me by the hand. The sudden contact was nothing short of an electric shock, but I had to concentrate of keeping my feet moving so as not to be pulled over by an overly-excited Edward.

Our first stop was a round pen that held several horses. Edward showed me each one, pointing out their name and breed. He knew each horse except for a buckskin that must have been a new edition.

"Want to ride one?" he asked.

"Ride one what?" I asked. Surely he wasn't talking about what I thought he was talking about.

"A horse, of course," he answered and I thumped him on the shoulder at his silly rhyme.

"Edward, I can't walk on my own two feet on solid ground," I replied. "What makes you think I'll fare any better riding a giant animal six feet up in the air?"

"Point taken," he said and furrowed his brow in thought. After a few moments he perked up, grabbing my hand again and saying, "Follow me."

We walked around the side of a large red barn. When we stopped, we were directly in front of a smaller fenced area. Inside were goats and sheep, many of which had little ones.

"They're adorable," I said as I took in the sight before me.

"Want to feed them?" Edward asked, his smile the biggest I'd seen it all night.

"Sure!" I said excitedly.

"Go on inside," Edward said as he opened the gate to the pen for me. "I'll be right back with the food.

It was obvious that the animals were used to visitors, as many of them gathered around me when I entered. Most were friendly and allowed me to scratch their heads or rub their backs. But I noticed one little pair of black eyes peeking at me from behind its mothers legs.

"Hey little guy," I said softly as I approached. "It's ok, I won't hurt you." I held out my hand slowly. He poked his head out just enough to sniff, but quickly retreated back to his hiding spot.

"Ah, that must be Lenny," Edward called from behind me. He closed the pen gate and continued toward me. In one hand he carried a bucket of feed. In the opposite hand was a bucket with a few baby bottles.

"Maddie told me about him over the phone," Edward explained. "Said he's pretty shy."

"He sure is cute," I said as I looked back at the baby goat.

"Why don't you try and feed him," Edward said as he handed me a bottle. "Maybe a little food will get him to warm up to you."

I took the bottle and began toward the goat as slowly as possible so as not to frighten him. But each time I took a step closer, little Lenny would retreat farther behind his mother. After a few more tries, I gave up.

"I don't think I'm very good at this," I said as I walked back to Edward.

"Nonsense," he said. "You just have to have the right approach." He took the bottle from my hands and crept forward, stopping when he came to the spot where I had been standing. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground in order to get on Lenny's level in a nonthreatening fashion. Edward squirted a few drops of milk from the bottle onto the palm of his hand and held it out to the baby goat.

"Come here, it's ok," he encouraged Lenny in a soft voice. As Edward continued his attempts to coax Lenny out from behind his mother, I picked up the bucket of feed and began offering handfuls to the adults. After a few moments, I noticed Edward wasn't talking anymore and turned toward him. I couldn't believe my eyes.

There sat Edward, cross legged on the dirty ground, with a content Lenny laid across his lap, enjoying the milk from the bottle. Edward smiled triumphantly as he stroked Lenny's back with his free hand.

"See, its all in the approach," he said, chuckling at my expression of shock. Closing my gaping mouth, I managed to respond.

"So, if I want to make new friends, I should crawl around on the ground and carry a bottle with me?" I asked.

"Well, in my experience I've found that a good bribe never hurts," he answered. "Why do you think I gave you the backpack earlier?" We both laughed as Lenny reached the end of the bottle, a frustrated look appearing on his sweet face. He quickly jumped off Edward's lap and trotted away.

"I've been abandoned," Edward said, poking his bottom lip out in a cute pout.

"What am I, chopped liver?" I asked, also pouting.

"I was thinking you were more along the lines of Salisbury steak," Edward joked. I responded by throwing a handful of feed at him, but quickly realized that wasn't the best thing to do. A mischievous smile covered Edward's face as he crouched down and began to slowly stalk toward me. I held my free hand up in protest and began backing away.

When my backside hit the gate to the pen, Edward began running after me. I shrieked and dropped the feed bucket with a loud clang. Somehow I managed to open the gate and dart outside before Edward reached me, but I knew it wouldn't be long before the jig was up. Running as fast as I could, I rounded the corner of the barn and headed inside the entrance.

I had just turned the corner of the large sliding door when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, causing me to loose my balance. We tumbled together to the floor, but luckily found ourselves in the area of the barn where hay was stored, providing us with a soft landing.

"Oops," I said as a cloud of hay bits rained down upon our heads.

"You really are clumsy, you know?" Edward teased as he picked several large pieces of straw from my hair.

"Me?" I asked. "You're the one who knocked me over you big brute!" My tone was light and joking as we each caught our breath. But as the last piece of hay settled around us, so did an anxious atmosphere. I was suddenly aware of our position. I was laying half across Edward's lap, his right arm still bracing me as his left hand continued to stroke my hair.

The look on his face was serious. I could feel his breath on my face and it made me feel as if the rest of the world did not exist. My heart began hammering in my chest, loud enough that I was certain Edward could hear it. His grip on my waist tightened slightly as he pulled me closer, his lips almost to mine.

"Oh dear," a timid voice called from the door way. Both my and Edward's heads snapped apart to look at her. His hand fell from my hair, though his other arm remained around my waist, holding me to his warm body when I tried to stand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Maddie said. I knew my face was bright red with embarrassment at being caught. But I was a little relieved to see the giant smile that Maddie was wearing. "I heard something crash and came out to make sure you were ok."

"Sorry Maddie," Edward said. "Bella dropped her feed bucket when I decided to play an impromptu game of tag." We all chuckled, though for very different reasons. "Obviously, Bella lost," Edward continued.

"Did not!" I exclaimed and stuck my tongue out at him childishly. That made Maddie laugh harder.

"Alright then," she said as she turned to go back inside. "I'll tell Rupert not to call the authorities."

I exhaled loudly and buried my face in Edward's shoulder to hide my beet red face. His chest rumbled with another chuckle.

"Come on, let's get everything put back in its place so we can go to dinner," he said, although there was a hint of reluctance in his voice.

After brushing ourselves off the best we could and putting away the feeding supplies, Edward and I said a quick goodbye to Maddie and Rupert before heading back to town.

"You're not a vegetarian are you?" he asked as entered the campus area of town.

"No," I replied. "Definitely a carnivore."

"Good," he said. "I thought we would keep it a little low key tonight since we look like we've been on a farm." I laughed, but internally cringed at the thought of what I probably looked like. I desperately needed to get to a mirror, and quick.

A few minutes later we pulled into the packed parking lot of a local burger joint. It was called the "Hole-In-The-Wall". Seriously.

"I had no idea this was here," I said as we climbed out of the car.

"Really?" Edward asked unbelievingly. "I thought everyone knew about this place."

We ended up having to wait in line a bit. Like Edward said, the "Hole-In-The-Wall" was very popular. After we ordered, we headed outside since there weren't any available tables inside. The situation was the same on the patio, so Edward and I ended up sitting on a park bench next to a tree covered in white Christmas lights. It was away from the somewhat rowdy crowd, so we could actually carry on a conversation.

"Let me guess," I started. "Emmett turned you on to this place?"

"Actually, Carlisle did," Edward answered, much to my surprise. "Since Carlisle's a doctor, he's a huge advocate for eating healthy. Seeing the affects first hand of an unhealthy diet, I guess I can't blame him. But every once in a while, he just has a craving for something greasy."

"Carlisle and Esme sound amazing from what you've told me," I said.

"I'd really like for you to meet them," Edward responded. "I mean, I know Alice is throwing your birthday party at the house and all. But maybe you could join us for Sunday dinner this weekend? That way you could meet them before the party and all."

"I don't know," I said tentatively. "What if they don't like me?"

"Bella, that's silly," he reassured me. "Everyone that I know loves you. My parents will too, you'll see."

I didn't really have a chance to respond either way because our order was called. Edward left to pick up our tray and returned with two cheeseburgers, two sodas and an order of fries that we planned to share. He had to show me how to eat the burger since it was so big I didn't think I'd be able to fit in my mouth. Apparently, there was technique to eating a burger this large. Who knew?

"So what about your family?" Edward asked after I'd managed to successfully take a few bites of my cheeseburger.

"Um, what about them?" I asked and tried to keep the panic out of my voice even though I had frozen mid-bite.

"You haven't really talked about them much," he said carefully. "I was just wondering what the story was there."

I exhaled the breath I'd been holding. This wasn't the right time for my story, the reason I came to Seattle in the first place. But Edward had been so honest with me, opening up about his own past and family, even showing me his excellent baby goat nurturing skills earlier tonight. He deserved the truth. I owed him that much.

"I don't really have any family left," I stated bluntly. Now it was Edward's turn to freeze with a burger halfway to his mouth. "My mom, Renee, and dad, Charlie, got divorced when I was ten. I moved to Arizona to live with Renee up until she got remarried to Phil, a baseball player. He traveled a lot and she wasn't happy not being able to go with him, but she would never leave me. So I decided to move to Washington to live with Charlie so she didn't feel obligated to stay with me."

Edward had put his burger down and was listening to me with uninterrupted focus. But I couldn't look him in the eye. I didn't want to break down when the look of pity crossed his face, which was inevitable. Everyone got that look when I told them my story. And quite honestly, even though I was sick of it, it never ceased to upset me by reminding me of just how much I had lost.

"Just before I turned sixteen," I continued, "Renee and Phil were killed when the charter plane they were taking to his next game crashed. The pilot lost control while trying to land. They said it was a freak accident. Luckily, the pilot and other two passengers survived."

I took a shaky breath before continuing, "Three years ago, the week before my high school graduation, Charlie died of lung cancer. He smoked a lot when he was younger and quit after I was born and doctor's warned him of the danger of second hand smoke. But I guess it was too little too late. Charlie knew he was dying, but kept it from me so it wouldn't ruin my senior year."

I gave a little chuckle at the irony. "He left everything to me, which wasn't much. He was the police chief of our small town. But his paycheck was already spread thin, trying to pay off as much as he could before he passed. I still own the house, but have a hard time going back there."

I paused, trying to collect my thoughts, and raised my burger to my mouth to fill the time. But in the midst of this particular conversation, I just couldn't force myself to take a bite. I put the burger back down and then continued, "Both Renee and Charlie were only kids, and my grandparents all died when I was little. So now it's just me."

It was a good thing that was the end of the story, because I wouldn't have been able to continue otherwise. I didn't dare look at Edward since I was already fighting off the tears I was so tired of shedding.

"Bella," I heard Edward breath. "I'm so, so sorry you've had to go through all of this." At that, a single tear rolled spilled over and rolled down my cheek. Edward's hand cupped my cheek, wiping away the tear with his thumb, and I closed my eyes leaning into his touch.

After a deep breath, I had calmed myself enough to open my eyes. Edward's touch seemed to help a lot, too. I looked at him and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," I said. I wanted to say so much more, but was afraid I'd break down again. Sometimes simpler is better. As I finally looked up at Edward's face, my heart broke at the tenderness there. It wasn't pity as I had expected, but of a sad understanding. We had both lost parents, just in different ways. I wanted more than anything for him to look happy again.

"I mean, I'm not totally alone," I reassured him and tried to smile. "I still have my best friend Jake, and his dad who is also like a father to me. Although, Thanksgiving dinner with those two is more like a sitcom than the traditional celebration."

I was pleased when Edward laughed, and I did the same. A little more relaxed, I took a bite of my cheeseburger. Edward did too. After a few moments, he finally spoke again and changed the subject, for which I was grateful.

"So, do you have a date to your birthday party yet?" he asked, fighting a smile that twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sure Alice will find me someone," I teased back with a grin before reaching over to wipe a spot of mustard that had appeared on Edward's upper lip. He held still for me before continuing.

"Will you give me a hint of what I can get you for a present?" Edward asked innocently.

"Oh, no you don't," I answered sternly. "I've already told Alice there are to be _no_ gifts."

"Fine," Edward said, obviously not happy with my response. "No _paid_ gifts." He reiterated the same words Alice had spoken yesterday. I had no idea what they had up their sleeves, but I didn't feel like pressing the issue further.

The conversation turned more lighthearted while we finished our food, for which I was relieved. I could only go so far down memory lane these days. After we were finished, Edward drove me home. He played soft jazz through the car speakers. I'd never really listed to jazz before, but it was nice. Edward had great taste in music.

When we got back to my apartment, he walked me to my door. Always the gentleman. We stopped at the top of the stairs so I could dig my keys from my purse.

"Um, would you like to come in?" I asked. I thought it was the polite thing to do.

"I would love to come in," Edward responded, but with a bit of a grimace. "Except I have a test first thing in the morning. So I should probably head home and get some sleep."

"Ok," I said, both disappointed and a tiny bit relieved.

"So, I guess we'll see you at the Blue Moon Saturday night after Alice's dinner. Are we still on for dinner with my family on Sunday?" As he asked he leaned against the wall. I'm sure he didn't know just how sexy he looked right now.

"As long as you're sure they won't mind," I said and couldn't help but bite my lower lip in uncertainty.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "Esme will be ecstatic, although I'm sure she'll have a ton of questions for us. And Carlisle is happy as long as I am happy."

"And are you… happy?" I asked before I could stop myself. It wasn't like me to be so forward, but I honestly wanted to know. I quickly glanced down at my feet. But Edward's fingers found my chin and gently lifted my face to look at him again. He leaned in closer, his gaze once again very intense.

"Completely," he whispered and his lips slowly met mine with a shock like lightning.

14


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for continuing to read. I really appreciate all the support I've had so far. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think. Am I going in the right direction? Am I missing anything? Or do you like it just the way it is?**

**Chapter 8- Edward Point of View**

My first actual date with Bella had been more than I could have hoped for. It was worried about taking her to the farm. Most girls probably would have been put off by the dirt and smells. So I had never taken anybody else to one of my favorite places in the world. But Bella certainly wasn't just any girl. She had proven that time and time again.

She seemed genuinely happy to be there, as was I to share the experience with her. Like everyone else, Maddie and Rupert fell in love with her too. I was now even more excited about introducing her to my parents. If only she had more confidence in their reaction to her.

My heart had ached at the "Hole-In-The-Wall" as she finally told me about her family. I knew what it was like to be pitied, after all I was an orphan. But the truth was, I didn't pity her for her situation. I was in awe of her. So many other people would have let tragic events like the deaths of their mother, stepfather and father destroy them. They would have used it as an excuse to quit, to let their dreams fade away. But not Bella.

Instead, this wondrous woman was forging ahead, fighting against all odds to achieve her goals. Sure, it would probably take her longer than she originally expected. Her path had been undeniably altered. But sooner or later, she'd get to the finish line. I wanted desperately to be there when she finally made it.

Finally, our night had ended. Normally, I was sad to leave her side. It had taken every ounce of restraint in me to decline her offer to come inside her apartment. There was nothing I wanted more than to stay with her, to just be with her. But I also didn't want to scare her away by moving too fast.

Instead of being upset, I left with one of the happiest feelings ever. It was such a high. It was unexplainable. And it was all because of that kiss. Cheesy as it may sound, there was chemistry between us. Hell, it felt more like a nuclear reaction when our lips met. Like an electrical current, livewire, shockwave. Whatever words I could use to describe it wouldn't even begin to convey how it had felt. It was beyond anything I'd ever experienced in my life thus far.

"Edward, could you at least tone the speeding down a little," Jasper said from the backseat and jolted me from my thoughts. "I am a cop you know." I looked down at the speedometer and noticed we were doing almost 90. It was a bit much, even for me. But in my anxiousness to see Bella again, I let my led foot do the talking. At Jasper's request, I reluctantly backed it down to 80.

"Better?" I asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror as he sat between Alice and Rosalie. Emmett had shotgun. It was Saturday night and we had just finished Alice's belated birthday dinner with my family at her favorite restaurant. Esme had wanted to take Alice to her favorite new bar, the Blue Moon. But luckily we managed to talk her out of it.

Carlisle spent the first part of dinner apologizing for being gone. But to be honest, I think Alice preferred it that way. It allowed her to lengthen the amount of time as "The Birthday Girl." It was almost two weeks since the actual day and she was still celebrating. Still the center of attention.

It made me think of Bella. I mean, Alice didn't want to let her birthday go. But Bella didn't want to seem to celebrate at all. She wasn't comfortable being the center of attention or receiving gifts or praise. She didn't even seem comfortable allowing me to buy her dinner. All this just made me realize even more how special the girl was.

We finally arrived to the Blue Moon, but had to park in the back. It was much more crowded than last week, I could tell that much just by the number of cars. If it hadn't been for Bella, I wouldn't have braved the masses. But with her in mind, it was as if no one else existed. I was out of the car and walking quickly toward the entrance before my sister and friends were fully out of the Volvo.

I received some pretty dirty looks from the people standing in the long line as I strode past. The bouncer with black hair and dark skin also eyed me as I approached. I should have been intimidated because this dude was huge. I was pretty tall and he had me by at least three inches. But it was his bulk that was most impressive. I mean, what did this guy eat? How much time did he spend in the gym?

I gave the guy my name so he could check the list. By this time my group had finally caught up with me. After a brief moment, he looked up from the list and motioned us past. There was a faint groan from the line of people as we filed through the door.

As Bella had previously directed us, we headed to the back of the bar to a restricted area. Once again, our name was on the list and the barely dressed hostess led us to a private booth. The black, circular seating was draped on three sides by crimson fabric panels. The lighting was dimmed even more in this area of the bar, so a few candles were scattered on the table. The loud music was also more muted, for which I was grateful. I might actually be able to handle coming to the Blue Moon if I could always sit here.

"Hi, my name's Phoenix and I'll be your private waitress for the night," I heard her voice say behind me. Bella had switched stations with another bar tender so she could cover the VIP section. Apparently, the other girl had been more than willing to trade since more traffic in the main area of the bar meant more tips. My friends all said hi to a smiling Bella while I turned and picked her up off the ground in a giant hug.

"Careful, Edward," she whispered in my ear. "Don't want to get me in trouble with the boss do you?" I set her down quickly, worried that I had crossed the line. But I was relieved to see she was smiling.

"Gotta keep up the illusion, you know?" she said and winked. Then she turned to my group "What'll it be tonight?" As she turned to take their orders, I couldn't help but stare at her. She was wearing the tightest jeans I'd seen her in yet at the bar. The fabric at one of the knees was ripped stylishly. Above it she wore a low cut white tank top with a gray sleeveless vest over it. It drew my eyes to her exposed cleavage before I could stop myself. I quickly averted my gaze as she looked up and asked what I wanted to drink.

The VIP area wasn't nearly as busy as the rest of the bar. Only a few other booths were occupied. So Bella was pretty much free to spend all of her time with us, even though I wasn't allowed to hug or touch her as much as I wanted. Each time she left to check on the other tables, I could barely concentrate on my group's conversation. I was too busy watching Bella's every move. I smiled as she approached again.

"Hey guys, I've got to make a run to the storage room," she explained. "I'll be right back." I frowned as I watched her walk away, my eyes following her through the thick crowd.

"Earth to Edward!" I heard Alice call.

"Yeah?" I asked without turning my head, still watching Bella.

"Geez, Edward," Alice whined. "Do you stalk all your girlfriends like this?" That got my attention as I finally turned back to my group.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"She's gonna be right back, you know?" Jasper said. It wasn't condescending, just reassuring. He was trying to calm me down.

"Yeah, I know," I said and finally turned my body fully back to face the rest of the booth. "Sorry." With that, they continued with the conversation they were having, something about who would win a fight between a vampire and a werewolf. Apparently someone has watched Van Helsing one too many times. I glanced back to the crowd quickly, but Bella had disappeared among the throngs of people.

After a few minutes I was finally able to engage in conversation again. I forgot how funny Alice and Emmett were after a few drinks. They'd pretty much do anything you'd dare them to. But heck, they were like that sober anyway. Alice was about to drink a combination of her martini and Jasper's beer when Emmett jumped out of his seat.

"Dude, what the hell?" he yelled and stormed out of the VIP area. Jasper and I were quickly on his heels even though we had no idea what was going on. I was surprised to see him pushing rudely through the crowd, knocking people out of the way as he went. It wasn't like Emmett, normally he tried to be polite. But polite went out the window when I saw what Emmett was so upset about.

Bella was pressed against a wall next to and "Employees Only" door. A man was holding her in place with a forceful grip on both of her upper arms. She was struggling and yelling at him, but he wouldn't budge. She just wasn't strong enough to escape his grasp. Several bottles of liquor were smashed on the floor beside her, the ground wet and covered in broken glass.

Anger rushed through me and the desire to kill this ignorant man was only overcome by my desire to protect Bella and ensure her safety. But before I could move an inch, Emmett was already taking the bull by the horns. Using his left hand, Emmett grabbed the man by his shoulder and turned him around, simultaneously punching with his right hand. I could have sworn he growled as his fist connected with the man's face. It was a solid hook and knocked the guy to the floor. Unfortunately, he took Bella with him and I heard her cry out when she hit the ground.

I rushed to her side as Jasper went to handle Emmett. I'd never seen him react so violently, even when Rosalie was being ogled by her many admirers. But then again, Emmett had taken to Bella right away, almost like an older brother. Like I said, she had that effect on people.

"Bella, are you ok?" I asked as I kneeled down beside her. She looked up at me, the fright clear across her face. Her eyes shined with the tears that had begun to form. She inhaled sharply as she tried to push herself off the floor. I followed her gaze to look down at her hands. She turned them over to reveal a deep cut in the palm of her left hand, blood already trickling down her wrist. She closed her eyes and looked away quickly.

"Its ok, you can cry," I reassured her quietly. "You don't always have to be strong." She looked at me strangely and gulped before speaking.

"It's not that," she said, obviously still fighting the tears. "I don't like the sight of blood. It makes me lightheaded." I nodded to show I understood. Then I wrapped my arms around her, careful to avoid her injured hand, and gently lifted her to a standing position.

It was then that I remembered the other people around us. Alice and Rosalie had managed to push their way to the almost-silent crowd and were standing on either side of Bella and me, their eyes wide as saucers as they looked on in concern. Jasper was having a hard time holding back a very pissed Emmett. In front of them, the man we all wanted to pummel was being restrained by the bouncer who had let us into the club earlier. He overpowered the smaller man easily.

Since he was now facing me, I realized this jerk looked familiar. He didn't look at anyone other than Bella, and that did the trick. I remembered him from my first night at the bar. The first time I saw Bella. He was the creepy guy that asked her to join him in his truck. What was his name, again? Jeff… Jerry… He looked the same now, still greasy, still drunk. The only difference was the busted lip and trickle of blood coming from his nose. It made me feel a little better. But not much.

"Bella," Jasper said cautiously. "Considering your injuries, you could file charges for assault." Emmett stopped struggling for a moment. Jasper was still staring at Bella, his eyes flickering between her face and arms, waiting for her answer. I followed his gaze to notice the slight discoloration of fresh bruises forming on her upper arms. I fought back the desire to rip the man's head from his shoulders, reminding myself that my place was at Bella's side.

"Do you want to press charges?" Jasper asked again. Bella looked down, still avoiding the sight of her own blood, and thought for a moment. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She finally took a deep breath and spoke.

"No," she said quietly and shook her head. "I just want him to leave."

"No problem," the bouncer said sternly, holding tightly to his charge as the man jerked again in an attempt to be free. "He's already had one warning about this, so this little incident will permanently ban him from the bar." As the bouncer pulled the man toward the door, he began thrashing harder. He was pulled a few steps away before he yelled back at us.

"Damnit Phoenix!" he screamed, still trying to escape the bouncer's hold. "Why don't you tell them how you feel about me?" Bella stiffened at his words, but never looked up. I stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the scene in case she did decide to look.

"You're making a mistake!" he continued as he was dragged out the door. "You'll regret this!!" And then he was gone.

I held Bella's bleeding hand in mine while she continued to look to the side. Rose and Alice each had a hand on her shoulder, touching her comfortingly. By this time, Jasper had finally released Emmett and they had joined us as well. The observant crowd had finally gone back to their partying, the noise level rising several octanes.

"Is there somewhere we can take care of your hand?" I asked. She nodded and gestured to the "Employees Only."

"Do you need help?" Rose asked.

"No, I can handle it," I told her. "Why don't you go calm Emmett down." I smiled at her knowingly and she nodded. As they all left to head back to the VIP area, Bella led me through the door beside us. I glanced back once and bright red hair caught my eye. I saw Victoria glaring angrily at Bella before the door closed behind us. '_Strange_,' I thought.

The walkway just inside the door was narrow in between large shelves full of various types of alcohol. We passed through them and turned right down another hallway. We finally ended in the first room on the left, which turned out to be the employee breakroom.

Using just her right hand, Bella opened the cabinet under the sink and retrieved a small first aid kit. She started toward the table in the middle of the room, but I stopped her when I took the kit from her hands. I placed it on the counter, beside the sink, before grabbing Bella by the waist and lifting her onto the countertop. Ripping a few sheets of paper towels from a nearby roll, I wetted them and began cleaning Bella's hand.

"You don't have to do this you know," she said. When I looked up in her face I was relieved to see the almost-tears were gone. She still seemed a little on edge, though, which was understandable.

"I don't mind," I said, returning my attention to her hand. "The most important thing is that you're ok." At that she smiled and I stepped closer to where she was sitting on the counter. But as my stomach brushed her knees she flinched, looking at her right knee.

"What is it?" I asked as I too looked down. She shook her head, trying to play it off. But the scrapes behind the cut fabric in the knee of her jeans were undeniable. Luckily, it wasn't anywhere as bad as her hand, so I turned my attention back to it.

"You scraped your knee too," I informed her. "I'll clean it up after we're finished here."

"Thanks," she said. "I guess my clumsiness strikes again, huh?"

"Bella," I said, a slight scolding tone to my voice. "This was not your fault. It was that creep James." She didn't say anything, so I continued with a question that I'd been wondering for the past few minutes.

"The bouncer mentioned James already had a warning about this once," I began. "Has he done something like this to you before?" She looked away from her hand again and bit her bottom lip. I waited patiently for her to speak.

"Edward, you know we have customers hit on us all the time," she finally said. "It's just something I've learned to deal with. Really, it's not a big thing."

"Bella," I said sternly. I stopped cleaning her hand and turned her face to look at me. She took a deep breath and I could see her resolve breaking. With her eyes till off to the side she began to speak.

"A couple of weeks back James was waiting on me to come out of the storage room, just like he was tonight," she explained. "He grabbed me and kissed me. But Jacob got him off me before he could do anything else." It pained me to think of what would have happened if this Jacob person hadn't been there to interfere. I felt grateful to him and it made it easier to conceal the worry on my face.

"Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore," I said and opened the first aid kit. After pulling out a large band-aid and triple antibiotic ointment, I returned my attention to Bella.

"The good news is that I don't think you'll need stitches," I said as I bandaged her up.

"I guess it's a good thing I have a doctor as a boyfriend," she answered, a small smile finally gracing her beautiful face. It made my heart soar to know I helped put it there. I would do anything to keep it there. It hadn't escaped my attention that she had called me her boyfriend.

"Well, almost-doctor anyway," I told her and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her hand when I finished placing the band-aid on her cut. Wetting another paper towel, I was dabbing at her scraped knee when the door to the breakroom opened behind us.

"What's going on in here?" an older man asked as he entered. Luckily, he didn't sound too upset, just curious.

"A customer got a little too rowdy," Bella explained. "Bruce, this is my friend Edward. Edward this is my _boss_, Bruce." I was about to get my feelings hurt about being labeled her "friend," but Bella's emphasis on the word boss was actually code for "don't get me in trouble with my boss." I stopped what I was doing to politely shake his hand.

He returned the handshake but then asked, "Where's Jacob?" I was starting to wonder who this Jacob guy was. He always seemed to be there when Bella needed help. Like he was expected to protect her.

"He was tossing the guy out last time I saw him," she responded. So Jacob was the bouncer. That explained things. A little.

"Oh," Bruce said. "Well good to know he's doing what I pay him for. You ok?"

"Yeah," she said lightly. "Nothing I can't handle." Typical Bella. Brush everything off so no one will worry.

"Well take the rest of the night off, I'll get someone to cover for you," Bruce said before heading back out the door. "Nice to meet you Edward. Good to know that Bella has a boyfriend that knows how to take care of her." Bella and I both laughed as the door shut behind him.

"So much for being _friends_," I said.

"That's ok," she said and I began to frown. "I'm not very interested in being _just friends_ with you anyway." Her teasing tone made my frown disappear. I was happy to see her smile again, too.

"Then what are you interested in being?" I teased and stepped to stand between her legs, leaning my face down to hers slowly in the process. I was curious as to what her answer would be since we hadn't talked about labeling exactly what our relationship was. If it were up to me, we would have already officially declared ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend. We would be exclusive to one another and making plans for the future. But a tiny part of me knew that it was a bit soon for that. After all, it had only been a few weeks and I didn't want to scare the girl off.

Bella's fingers in my hair pulled me back from my thoughts. To my disappointment, she had no intention of answering my question right now. But to my sheer and utter delight, she had alternate plans. Apparently, my slow advancements were not up to her speed. So she wove her delicate fingers through my hair and pulled me the rest of the way to her in one swift move. She wasted no time pressing her warm lips to mine. I felt the shockwave scorch through me as our lips moved in synch.

Bella finally broke away, gasping. '_Damn our human needs for oxygen_,' I thought. I couldn't help but chuckle as I took in her flushed appearance while she caught her breath.

"Perhaps I should take you home," I said.

"NO!" she cried with a worried look on her face. But it was quickly replaced with a neutral mask as she recovered herself. "I mean, I'm just not ready to leave yet. I'd like to hang out with everyone for a while."

"We can do whatever you want," I reassured her. After a quick kiss on the forehead, I again wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her from the countertop to the floor. Before we headed back to our group, Bella changed clothes. She said she didn't want to be hounded for drink orders since we were going back into the bar.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing the same jeans, but had changed in a simple white t-shirt. Not nearly provocative as her previous top, but still entirely attractive. She had also let down her ponytail, her long brown locks cascading down her back and over her shoulders just the way I liked it.

We made our way back to the VIP section where all of our friends stood at our arrival. Everyone worriedly hugged and inquired about Bella. She tried to brush off their concerns the best she could. But she took an extra moment with Emmett, sincerely thanking him and hugging him tightly once more. When she let go, he was beaming as if he was her knight in shining armor. I felt a moment of jealousy that I was not the one to save her, but quickly pushed it away as I reminded myself that all that mattered was her safety. We had all just gotten settled into the booth when the bouncer, Jacob, approached.

"Bella, are you ok?" he asked. I noticed he was looking her up and down, probably appraising her for injuries. But, sitting inside the booth, she was mostly hidden and the sleeves of her new shirt covered the bruises. It struck me then that she had probably put on something with long sleeves for that very reason.

"Yeah Jake, I'm fine," she said lightly and then turned to look at our table. "Guys, this is my best friend Jacob. I'm sure you've also noticed that he's a bouncer at the bar." We went around the table and made introductions. Of course, Alice couldn't just say hello.

"Hi, I'm Alice," she started innocently enough. But that's where it ended. "And thanks for ditching Bella on her birthday, by the way." Jacob stuttered and began apologizing profusely to Bella, to which she grimaced. I got the feeling this wasn't the first time he had apologized.

"Relax," Alice reassured him. "We've got it all covered. We're throwing Bella a birthday party at our place. If you're really nice, you might even get an invite in case your plans change." She gave him an exaggerated wink so he'd know she was just playing with him.

His shoulders relaxed a bit before he got a mischievous look in his eyes. Before Alice could protest, Jacob sat on the booth seat next to her, wrapping his right arm around her neck in a wrestling style headlock and using his left fist to rub the top of her head vigorously. I was surprised Jasper didn't try to rip his throat out. But then again, Jasper was always good at reading people and Jacob was pretty easy going so far.

"Watch the hair!" Alice shrieked and the whole table laughed. He finally let her go and she scrunched her nose as she pulled away from him. "And next time lay off the body spray. Did you have to use the _whole_ bottle?"

"Just making sure I'm presentable for all the fine ladies in the house," he said jokingly. But Bella didn't approve.

"Oh please, Jake," she said. "I know for a fact that you only have eyes for one woman." Jacob just looked at her smiled.

"Very true," he conceded. I couldn't help but notice the easy banter between the two of them. I wondered how long they had been friends and how long it would take Bella and me to be like that.

"Not that I don't enjoy having you here, Jake, but shouldn't you be working?" she asked. "I don't want you to get in trouble with Bruce."

"I'm on my break," he answered. Then he softened when he said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Jake, stop it," she said and looked down at the table. "I told you, I'm ok." Jacob seemed to know when to leave things alone, so he turned to look at Emmett.

"Thanks for getting there so quickly, man" he said sincerely. "And I'm glad you got in a few good punches. We're not allowed to _hurt_ the customers." He rolled his eyes mockingly.

"No problem, I wasn't about to let anyone put their hands on Bella," Emmett answered.

"Where'd you learn to hit like that anyway," Jacob asked.

"It's all about leverage," Emmett answered. "I'm on the football team at UW, so I know how to use my weight to the best of my advantage."

"Cool! I love coming to your games," Jacob said enthusiastically. Again, Emmett beamed. None of our regular group was that much excited about Emmett's football games. Well, except Rosalie, and that's because she was obligated as his girlfriend. So it was a special time for him to have a real fan.

"Well, let me know the next time you want to come and I'll get you tickets," Emmett offered, and this time it was Jacob's turn to beam.

The evening went on like that, easy banter and playful joking. None of us were drinking anymore, but that certainly didn't stop us from having a good time. Jacob went back to his post at the front door, but managed to come back a few times when he had the chance. But about an hour later, I noticed Bella trying to hide a yawn. Jacob noticed, too.

"You ready to head out, Bells?" he asked.

"Jake, your shifts not over yet," she reminded him. "Besides, Edward's already offered to follow me home." Luckily, I managed to hide the surprise on my face before Jacob turned to look at me. Sure, I had hinted on taking her home earlier, but having Bella turn down her best friend's offer to accept mine was unexpected.

Jacob paused, glancing at me quickly, before finally saying, "Good, I don't want you driving home by yourself tonight." With that he said goodbye to the rest of the table, thanking Emmett again for the hookup on football tickets. They exchanged telephone numbers and then Jacob was gone. I took the opportunity to make our exit as well.

"Ready to head out?" I asked Bella, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. She looked up at me with a happy expression, but then frowned.

"Did you all come in the same car?" she asked and gestured to the rest of our group. "I don't want to make them leave if they're not ready."

"Don't worry, Bella," Rose said, peeking around Emmett's shoulder. "It's been quite a night. I think we're all ready to head home." The others nodded in agreement and Bella's face once again relaxed into her beautiful smile. We all stood and made our way to the parking lot. Bella paused as we veered left to the Volvo, indicating that her car was in the opposite direction. I could tell she didn't want to be left alone, and so did Alice.

"Edward, why don't you drive Bella home in her car," Alice suggested. "And we'll follow you in the Volvo." There were times when my sister annoyed me with her know-it-all-attitude. Then there were other times, like tonight, when it came in handy. I looked down at Bella and she nodded with a sheepish grin.

"Ok," I agreed. "We'll pull around here for you to follow us." I tossed Jasper my keys and then we all parted ways. I followed Bella to where her car was parked. I had a moment to muse about what type of car she drove. I knew it would be at least a few years old. Something practical and no-nonsense, like a Toyota Camry or Honda Civic. I was not prepared at all for the monstrosity before me when she stopped.

"This is it," she said, stepping up to the old truck and unlocking the driver's door. It was red, though the hood was a mix of the faded paint and splotches of orange rust. There was no telling how much gas it guzzled, not to mention how much it could break down. I doubted Bella, with her naturally ingrained clumsiness, knew much about fixing cars. Yet another thing on the long list of surprises this girl gave me.

She slid into the driver's seat but looked confused when I didn't shut the door behind her. Instead, I just stood there with my hand extended palm up.

"Didn't you hear my sister?" I asked, not budging an inch. By the look on her face, Bella still didn't understand what I was talking about. "She instructed me to drive you home." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Edward, you don't have to do that," she said. And she was right. I didn't _have_ to. But I _wanted_ to. I wanted to do anything that would keep me closer to her. Anything that would keep her safe. Instead, I did what Bella had done so many times before. I played it off.

"Oh yes I do," I insisted. "I don't want an angry pixie coming after me because I didn't follow orders." Bella laughed at that and for once I saw the benefit to changing tactics the way I just did. She shrugged her shoulders and slid into the passenger's seat before turning back to hand me the keys.

16


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. ****J**

**Chapter 9- Bella Point of View**

I woke up this morning quite a bit groggy. As I rolled to my side to look at my alarm clock, I groaned from the throbbing in my hand. I glanced down to the see the large bandage on my palm, and was immediately flooded by the memories of last night. _The bar, James, Emmett… Edward._

Edward had taken care of me. My hand was proof of that and I pulled my knee to my chest, lifting the leg of my pajama bottoms to inspect my knee. The small scratches were further proof of last night's encounter. They were sore, but I'd live.

Looking back to the clock, I saw that it was only 7:30 AM. '_Why am I up so early after a night of working?_' I asked myself. Maybe it was because I didn't have to finish my shift. I honestly couldn't remember what time it had been when we left the bar.

I laid in bed for a little while, trying to will myself back to sleep. But there were too many thoughts whirling around my head for me to doze off again. So with much reluctance I forced myself from underneath my warm and cozy comforter. After taking a quick bio break and brushing my teeth, I trudged into the kitchen. I began making my way to the refrigerator to get a Coke, my morning dose of caffeine. But a tiny movement from the living room caught my attention and I froze.

Turning toward the living room, my heart sped at the sight. There on my couch, was Edward. One arm was hanging off the side of the couch, the other thrown above his head on the pillow that I recognized as being from my bed. His hair was even more disheveled than I had ever seen before, his lips slightly parted in his deep sleep. I suppressed a laugh as I noticed his feet dangling well past the end of the couch. He was just too tall for it. There's no way it could have been comfortable.

The rest of the night came back to me then. Edward had driven me in my truck back to my apartment. Alice followed in his Volvo with the others and waited in the parking lot as Edward walked me to my door. The good night kiss was a bit more reserved than the one after our date, probably because of the audience we had within eyesight. But Edward made the most of it, cupping my face with hand as he held me tightly. It was sweet and I could feel my heart swelling with genuine happiness.

Before we parted, he traced his thumb down my jaw line to my chin and placed one more peck on my lips. His smile faded somewhat as he pulled away and I could feel my happiness slipping, too. He said goodnight and I watched as he turned to go. Unconsciously, I grabbed his arm to prevent him for leaving.

"Wait," I said. I hated myself for being so selfish, but I just didn't want him to leave. So I put on my best girly pout and did something I usually didn't do. I lied.

"I don't really want to be alone," I whispered, looking down at where I held onto his arm. So technically it wasn't a lie. But it was still wrong of me to use tonight's incident to my advantage.

Edward looked at me expectantly. I guess the gentleman in him didn't want to assume what I wanted. He was waiting on me to ask.

"Stay," I whispered softly without looking up. With one hand, Edward lifted my chin so I would meet his eyes. He smiled at me reassuringly and used his other hand to lift my fingertips to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on top of them. Without another word, he went back down the stairs to tell the waiting car to leave without him.

Of course, nothing had happened. We were both exhausted and I remember gathering a pillow, sheet and a blanket to make Edward's makeshift bed on the living room couch. My apartment was only one bedroom and the bathroom was inside my bedroom. While Edward took his turn inside the bathroom, I quickly changed into my pajamas. I lay down on my bed, on top of the sheets, and waited for him to come out. That was the last thing I remembered. Since I woke up this morning covered warmly under my comforter, I could only assume Edward had tucked me in.

He had been so sweet, taking care of me at the bar. Most guys would have jumped right into the fight. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was grateful that Emmett stepped in when he did. I was secretly ecstatic when he landed a few punches to James' smug face before the fight was broken up. But Edward stayed by my side. He was only concerned for me, making sure that I was safe and well, instead of joining in on the hormone fest. Then he had taken care of me at home. He dropped everything he was doing to stay with me. He'd do anything for me, whether I asked or not.

I wanted to do something to make it up to him and eyeing my kitchen, I smiled. Luckily, I had just gone grocery shopping, so I had everything I needed to make Edward breakfast. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I pulled a few pots and pans from my cabinets.

About 20 minutes later, the bacon was on a plate and I was scraping the scrambled eggs onto another one. I was putting the pot back on the stove when I stubbed my toe, causing my grip on the pan to slip. I didn't drop it, but burned my arm in the process.

"Ow!" I yelled and dropped the pan on the stovetop with a loud clang, forgetting my sleeping companion just a few feet away.

"Bella?" he said sleepily, stirring from the couch. I watched the back of his head as he took a moment to absorb his surroundings. He turned toward me and, upon seeing me holding my arm, was by my side quicker than I thought possible. I was distracted by taking in his appearance. His bronze hair was still messy and he was wearing the same jeans from last night. The only difference was that he had removed his dress shirt and wore only a plain white t-shirt.

Edward gently took my forearm in his hands and tilted it so he could appraise the bright red welt that had already begun to form. He let go only long enough to grab a dishcloth that was beside the sink and place a handful of ice from the freezer in it. Before I could pretest he already had it pressed against my arm and was leading me to sit at my small kitchenette.

"Better?" he asked while he knelt in front of me and finally looked away from the burn to my face. As with last night at the bar, when I looked into his deep green eyes, all the pain faded away.

"Much," I said and smiled, hoping to ease his tension. But that wasn't to be, as Edward looked back to my forearm. His eyes traveled to my upper arm and then quickly glanced to the same area of my other arm. I followed his gaze to see bright purplish bruises in the form of four distinct digits formed there. Damn! James had left me a little souvenir of our encounter last night. I didn't need to look at the opposite arm to know I had a matching set.

Honestly, they didn't bother me that much. I guess I was just used to seeing markings like these on my body. I was the klutziest person I knew, after all. But perhaps to an average person, or a person so far beyond average like Edward, bumps and bruises like mine weren't very commonplace.

"I guess you're going to have to stick around," I said, cocking my eyebrow dramatically to make sure I brought his attention back to my face and away from my battered arms. It worked and I seemed to peak his curiosity.

"Oh really?" he asked. "And why's that?"

"Because you're going to save me a ton in doctor's bills," I said teasingly.

"Who says I'm not going to charge you?" he asked, turning the tables on me. Even though I was pretty comfortable with Edward now, I still wasn't very good at this whole flirting thing. It just wasn't natural for me to try and be sexy and seductive. So I just asked the first thing that came to mind.

"And what will you charge me, Dr. Cullen?" I whispered. He leaned in so close that our lips were almost touching, his warm breath rushing over the goose bumps that had just appeared.

"Whatever you think is fair," he whispered back, but moved no further. This time he was giving me control, letting me decide how far this would go. He probably thought it was the proper thing to do. If only he knew exactly how he made me feel. Just how improper I wanted to be with him. Internally I smirked as my lips crashed against his in a not-so-proper fashion.

The time for tentativeness was gone. I'd already tested the waters before, and it only left me hungry for more. Where other kisses had been soft and sweet, this one was rough and passionate, filled with unspoken desires. After a few seconds, Edward dropped the dishtowel full of ice in order to wrap his arms around my waist. But the scattering of ice cubes across my kitchen floor caught his attention as he broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry," he breathed heavily as he eyed my burn mark. But I was having none of this.

"It doesn't matter," I reassured him and tried something that seemed to catch his attention before. Lifting my arms, I wove my fingers through his hair quickly and pulled him to me with a firm grip. Sitting in the chair, I parted my knees slightly so he could press his body against mine. Since Edward was still kneeling on the floor, his chest was even with mine, our faces on the same level. It made bringing the kiss' level of intensity back to what it had just been that much easier.

All too soon I was groaning with frustration as Edward pulled away again, this time because his cell phone was ringing. He chuckled when I tried to pull him back to me, encouraging him to ignore the phone. But he was just too sensible for his own good.

"Hi Alice," he said when he pressed the phone to his ear. I loved Alice to death, but damnit if she didn't have the worst timing. It was like she knew just what we were doing and the exact time it would annoy me most to interrupt.

"No, we haven't forgotten," he said. "No, I'll come home and change first." He paused another moment as Alice spoke to him on the other end of the line. He looked at me for a moment and then answered her latest question.

"Nooo, I don't think Bella will need you to come over and help her get ready." I smiled and mouthed "thank you" to which Edward nodded.

"Ok, I'll tell her," he continued. "Talk to you later." Edward closed the phone and returned it to his pocket.

Looking at me he explained, "Alice reminded me to tell you that Sunday dinner with our family tends to be a bit dressier than the normal family. Carlisle is somewhat old fashioned about that. And Esme and Alice… well they just like any excuse to dress up."

"I'm glad you told me," I said, mentally going over what I had in my closest that would qualify as "dressy."

"So what were you making before the burning hot pan attacked your arm," Edward asked with my favorite crooked smile. I sighed as I realized that the mood from our heated kiss had been fully extinguished, but quickly remembered I had been making Edward breakfast for a reason. Together we picked up the scattered ice cubes and placed them in the sink before heading to the kitchen table.

"I made biscuits and bacon," I started. "But the scrambled eggs pan was what gave me problems."

"At least you managed not to drop the eggs on the floor," Edward offered. Leave it to him to always find the bright side in anything I did. The thought made me smile.

"Well, the food's probably cold by now, so let me reheat it," I said as I grabbed the first plate and put it in the microwave. A few minutes later, Edward and I were both seated at the kitchenette helping ourselves to my semi-homemade breakfast.

"I hope you know how to make healthy food too," Edward said before he swallowed another bite of bacon. "Because if I keep eating like this I'm not going to be able to fit through the door of the Volvo."

"Trust me," I said. "My cooking expertise is extremely limited. I just know the breakfast basics because they were Charlie's… I mean my dad's favorites." Normally, I would have grimaced at my slip of bringing my dad into the conversation. But I forced myself to stay neutral. I didn't want to ruin my nice morning with Edward.

After breakfast, he helped me clean up before heading home. He explained he needed to shower and change, but would be back at 5:00 to pick me up for dinner with his family. I knew it was necessary, but I still felt like something was off when he wasn't there. I wasn't quite as… happy.

We were getting to the point that we were extremely comfortable together, at least I was comfortable with him, much more so than I would have expected after only a few weeks. And while I took this as a positive sign, I was so nervous about tonight I thought I might be sick. I was meeting his parents for crying out loud!

I guess this would have been a worrisome situation anyway. But I was doubly anxious because I felt out of practice. It had been over three years since I'd had either of my parents. I no longer had to deal with Renee calling to ask about school or boys, or Charlie knocking softly on my door to see how my truck had been running. I swallowed back the lump that was forming in my throat.

What I wouldn't give to have that back. I hoped Edward realized how lucky he was, on so many fronts. Luckily, I had the distinct feeling that he did realize this. He always spoke if his parents, Esme and Carlisle, with the highest regard. I found it funny that we each called our parents by their first name instead of Mom and Dad. I guess adopted or biological made no difference in how people our age treated their parents.

By 4:00, I was sitting anxiously in my apartment's living room, twiddling my thumbs and bouncing my knees impatiently. I decided to pass the time thinking about mine and Edward's kisses, from the close of our first date all the way up to the breakfast kiss this morning. Technically, I'd been kissed before. But kissing Edward was like experiencing something entirely new, as if I'd never really done it before.

My mind ran through the details. The way he held me confidently in his arms. The way his breath flowed over my face, intoxicating me. The unexpected shock I felt as our lips gently met, painfully slow. And finally, the way the gentleness faded as the electricity built until we were forced to part, both of us struggling to catch our breath. The euphoric feeling running through me was enhanced by the realization that I affected him as almost as much as he affected me.

I was promptly brought back from my daydreams as someone knocked on my apartment door. As I ran to it, I glanced at the clock to see if was already 5:00. I flung the door open wide to find Edward waiting. And what a sight it was. He was dressed more formally than I'd ever seen him before: crisply pressed gray trousers with a matching black belt and dress shoes, a baby blue button down with soft pin stripes set nicely against his fair skin. Of course, Edward could accessorize with bits of casualness, his sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and his hair skillfully tousled the way I liked it. He grinned as I appraised him.

I was thankful Edward, or Alice for that matter, had warned me that their family dinners were a tad more formal than might be expected. I was wearing a brown corduroy skirt, matching flats and tan tights. On top I wore a white, flowing blouse that featured a ruffle lace collar. I didn't have time to really work with my hair since I'd been catching up on chores around the apartment since Edward left earlier in the day. So I just pulled it up into a neat ponytail, slicking back the stray hairs with some hairspray.

"Hello, love," Edward said as he also looked me up and down. My heart literally skipped a beat and my cheeks flushed. '_He's never called me that before_,' I thought. Hopefully it wouldn't be the last time.

"Hi," I finally said when I realized he was waiting for a response.

"Ready to go?" he asked without coming in.

"Yeah," I answered and snatched my purse from the entry table. I was so caught up with seeing Edward and responding to my newfound nickname, that I was halfway to the car before I realized I didn't grab my jacket. Somehow I managed to cross my arms across my chest and suppress the cold shivers before getting into Edward's Volvo.

Luckily, he turned up the heat full force once we were on our way. I loved how he pulled my hand on top of the gear shift and laid his on top, entwining our fingers. He acted like it was the most natural thing and continued on with idle conversation, while my body recognized with excitement every twitch of his fingers, every flex of his hand. I never could fully concentrate when Edward touched me, no matter how innocent. And with the exception of this morning's kiss, his touches thus far had been _very_ innocent.

We finally arrived at his house and for the first time I could think about something other than the gorgeous man next to me. My anxiety came back to the forefront as I remembered why I was here. It did not help me feel any better when I turned to get out of the car and saw the large house before me.

It was white on the outside, an odd combination of traditional and modern, and at least two stories tall. Most of the side of the house that I could see was made up of glass windows that continued to wrap around the back side of the structure. Landscaping befitting the most posh debutante's home showcased various plant life, blooming vibrant colors despite the cold temperatures. Large trees flanked either side of the house and there was no telling how old they really were.

"Bella?" Edward's voice called me back to the present. He was holding the car door open, waiting for me to get out. It wasn't until that moment that I realized I had frozen mid-step getting out of the car. "Did you change your mind?"

"No," I said quickly, though not with much confidence, and raised myself from the Volvo. The cold air hit me and I longed for my warm coat. I once again wrapped my arms around myself, but it wasn't enough to keep me from shivering. Edward noticed, always the observant one.

"Come here," he commanded softly after closing the car door behind me. He wrapped his right arm around my shoulders while his left hand rubbed up and down my arm, trying to create enough friction to warm me up. If only he knew the effect his touch had on me. Already my pulse had quickened, the brisk fall air all but forgotten.

"Better?" he asked me just as he did this morning. I simply nodded. He continued to lead me up the stairs and through the front door of the house. I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't unwrap me from his arms as he announced our arrival.

"Carlisle, Esme. Anybody home?" he asked loudly.

"Oh, I see how it is," Alice teasingly said with a smile as she came bouncing down the stairs. "You inquire about the parental units, but not your incredibly adorable and loving sister."

"Well, if I had one of those, I'd inquire about her," Edward joked back and ruffled her hair as she skipped past him and directly to me. She quickly pulled me from Edward's arms and, as was becoming habit, I found myself again engulfed in one of Alice's exuberant hugs.

"It's so good to see you, _Bella_," she said, exaggerating my name so Edward would know she was now officially ignoring him. "Come on, _I'll_ give you the official tour." With that, she took my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. But Edward wasn't ready to let go just yet.

"Uh-uh," he said as he grabbed my other hand and held me firmly in place. I felt like a rag doll tugged between two fighting children. Especially when Alice began to pout and pull harder.

"But Edward, you've already had her all day," she whined, obviously forgetting that she was supposed to be ignoring him.

"Not true," he responded. "I came home first thing this morning and only just picked her up." Then he leaned closer to whisper in my ear, low enough so only I could hear, "Besides, I could never have enough of you." He chuckled as I blushed and once again shivered. Maybe he did know the effect he had on me, after all.

Alice may not have heard the statement, but apparently she got the gist of it and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she conceded, but not entirely. "You can spend a few more minutes with her while you introduce her to Carlisle and Esme. They're waiting for you both in the kitchen. But _I_ get to give her the tour after. Without you."

I giggled at their negotiation before Edward pulled me into the kitchen, Alice following close behind. As we entered, the delicious aroma hit me and my stomach growled. Edward looked down at me with a wink before turning his attention back to his parents, who were busy with food preparations.

"Look who decided to join us," Alice called from behind us, causing both adults to look up.

"Edward!" the woman cried and dropped the knife she was cutting onions with onto the chopping board. She was quite lovely, very young looking. If I hadn't already known Edward and Alice were adopted, I'd wonder exactly how young she had been when she first had them. She was much shorter than Edward but taller than Alice, more my height.

"I haven't seen you all day, dear," she said and walked to Edward to give him a hug, I noticed how graceful she was. Her tailored black trousers and gold silk blouse were very ladylike. But her most outstanding feature was her hair. It hung in long soft waves down her back, a unique caramel brown color. If I hadn't already met Emmett's girlfriend, Rosalie, I would have thought it to be the most beautiful hair I'd ever seen.

"And you must be Bella," she turned to me and said after greeting her son. She walked over and gave me the same hug, full of welcome and love. Once again, I battled a lump forming in my throat as I experienced the feeling that only a mother could give you. It had been some time since I had felt that. I hugged her back, hoping she could feel my sincerity.

"Edward's told us so much about you," she pulled back and said with a smile. "I'm Esme. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you so much for inviting me," I said. As she finally let go and walked back to the cutting board, I could see Edward greeting his father.

"Carlisle, this is Bella," Edward introduced us. I held out my hand and he shook it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella," he said, his voice very soft but in a wise sort of way. He was tall, a bit more so than Edward. His hair was blond and starting to gray somewhat. He wore light colored khakis and a gray sweater over a white button down shirt. He certainly looked the part of an intelligent doctor. I just still couldn't get over how young each of them was.

"Likewise," I said. I was contemplating what to say next. I never was very good at making small talk. Fortunately, Alice didn't give me the chance.

"Ok, my turn," she said, taking advantage of the fact that Edward had let go of my hand so I could greet his parents. Before he could object, Alice had whisked me out of the kitchen. I could hear Esme and Carlisle laughing behind us, either from Alice's excitement or what I was sure would be an angry look on Edward's face.

"So how about we start from the top down?" she asked as we passed a beautiful baby grand piano, though she never waited for my response to her question. I wanted to inquire about who played the piano but didn't get the chance. We practically flew up the stairs and I was surprised that I didn't trip considering she was going so fast. I thought we would head toward a room once we were at the top of the landing, but instead she hung a left and continued up yet another flight of stairs. The house wasn't two stories, but three.

She let go of my hand at the top of the third floor to open a door. I took the opportunity to catch my breath. It wasn't like I hit a stair climber everyday, after all. But Alice looked like she wasn't affected at all. I got the feeling she could have climbed those stairs ten times over without breaking a sweat.

The first room we passed was a game room, complete with a pool table and pinball machine. I hadn't played a pinball machine since I was a little kid and I would have been happy to stop for a minute to test it out. But before I could say anything, Alice had already closed the door and was heading to the next room.

"This is a guest room," she said and opened the door only long enough for me to glance inside before shutting it again. "And that's the guest bath." She waved a hand toward the door across the hall but didn't stop to let me look in. It didn't pass my attention that she said it was "a" guest room, indicating that there were more guest rooms in the house. Exactly how big was this place?

"And this…," she said and paused for added drama, making sure she had my attention. "This is Edward's room." Now that definitely got my attention. I watched intently as she opened the door, much more slowly than the others. Or maybe that was because I was so much more interested in this one.

As the room finally came into view, the first thing I noticed was the long wall of shelves, each filled with cd's and old records. There wasn't room for another addition to the shelves and, as I took in the rest of the room, I noticed more cd's placed anywhere they could go: stacked on the floor, bedside tables, the window ledge. '_I guess I know what Edward's hobby is_,' I mused.

For once Alice was quiet while I walked further into the room. I passed the modern looking black, leather couch covered in books and stray pieces of paper. Behind it, floor to ceiling windows replaced the stereotypical wall, overlooking a fantastic garden area complete with a pond and small, trickling waterfall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward's bed. It was simple with a black wooden frame and matching white comforter and pillows. But my attention was devoted to the cd player centered in the middle of the wall of music. It was already turned on and I couldn't stop myself from hitting play.

Soft classical music filled the room. The quality of the speakers was excellent and, if I closed my eyes, I felt like I was listening to live music. I wasn't certain, but I thought the piece was called Clair de Lune. I couldn't remember who the composer was. Renee had once wanted to "broaden her horizons" by listening to more classical music. I had liked it. Not so much for Renee after a few weeks.

"You know, I could call this an invasion of privacy," Edward's voice called from the door and I jumped, which of course caused me to blush.

"I'm sorry," I started, but Edward held up his hand and began to walk forward. He only got one foot in the room before Alice cut him off by placing her tiny body in front of his.

"Oh, no!" she said firmly and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not finished with the tour."

"Well, excuse me," he responded with mock sincerity and a fake British accent. "But the Lady Esme has sent me to fetch you both. Dinner is served in the dining hall."

Alice narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine," she huffed. "But I get to finish the tour after dinner… _before_ you lock Bella away." With that she brushed past him, leaving the two of us alone. The soothing music once again filled my ears, reminding me of my previous thoughts.

"Clair de Lune?" I asked, running my fingers across the top of a line of clear cd cases.

"You know Debussy?" he asked, walking toward me.

"Not really," I admitted. "Just this piece. But it's one of my favorites from what I do know."

"Mine too," he said, his voice low. He stopped behind me, just out of sight, and my breath caught as he wrapped his arms around my stomach and laid his chin on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, causing me to shiver. I cringed internally. Between the blasted shivering and blushing, it was a wonder I could function at all.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing my racing heart to slow to a normal rate. It wouldn't make a very good impression if I were to faint in his arms, after all. A few moments later, the calming music took effect and I relaxed further into his arms. This time it was his turn to take a deep breath.

"We should probably head downstairs," he said with reluctance before placing a gentle kiss on my neck and letting go of my waist. Immediately I missed his embrace, but he quickly grasped my hand tightly in his before leading me back downstairs.

Esme was placing the last dish on the table as we entered. Everything looked, and smelled, delicious. It was an Italian feast: tossed salad, chicken parmigian, creamed spinach and garlic bread.

"I hope you like Italian," Esme said and gestured for me to take a seat. "We took inspiration from your name."

"I love Italian, thank you," I said. The rest of the family took their seats as well and everyone helped themselves to the food. No one spoke, except to ask for dishes or seasonings to be passed. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Instead, it was very natural, the way a family should be.

"So Edward," Carlisle said when everyone's plates were full. "How have your classes been going? We haven't had much time to catch up since I've returned."

"They're going well," Edward answered. "Right now I'm preparing for mid-terms."

"And how about you Bella?" Esme asked. "Edward mentioned that you are also enrolled at the University of Washington."

"Yes, I'm majoring in psychology," I answered.

"Isn't that the same area of study that Jasper has his degree in, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Yep," Alice answered as she took a larger than needed bite of garlic bread. I was shocked to look at her plate to see she had already cleared half of her food. She sure could put away some grub for such a tiny person. I'd barely taken three bites.

"And you work in the bar where Alice celebrated her birthday?" Esme asked, turning her attention back to me.

"Yes, I'm the supervising bar tender there," I explained.

"Oh wonderful," Esme replied with exuberance. "We're in need of a good bar tender for our Christmas party this year…"

"I'd be happy to serve your guests if you're in need of someone," I cut her off. I know it was rude to interrupt, but I was eager to make a good impression. Besides, I could always use the extra money around the holidays. Or anytime for that matter.

"Oh dear, no," Esme said with a look of shock on her face. "Of course I didn't mean you. We'll expect you to attend the party… as our _guest_. I was just hoping you could provide a good recommendation." I blushed when I realized how I had misinterpreted her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, but smiled as I thought of the perfect person for the job. "Actually, there is another bar tender that would be great. Her name is Angela. She's extremely talented and I know she could use the extra money."

"Wonderful!" Esme said and clapped her hands. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me her contact information when you have the chance."

We kept discussing general topics like school and work until Esme brought out dessert. I was stuffed, but couldn't turn down homemade tiramisu that practically melted in my mouth. Everyone laughed as I wiped away a smudge of cream that had found its way to the corner of Edward's mouth. If we hadn't had an audience, I would have licked it off my finger.

As promised, Alice rushed me off to see the rest of the house before Edward had a chance to thwart her. She showed me the rest of the bedrooms, all of the downstairs that I hadn't already seen, and finally the garage with her beloved canary yellow Porsche. Yes, she actually had a Porsche.

But my favorite part had been when I was finally _allowed_ to reunite with Edward, though I think Esme's scolding of Alice monopolizing my time had more to do with it than Alice actually sharing me of her own accord. While I certainly enjoyed being back in Edward's presence, the best part had been walking through his family's garden's in the backyard. My view from his room upstairs hadn't done them justice.

I was shocked to learn that Esme did most of her own landscaping. She spent countless hours there, tending to each and every plant. It was her own form of therapy. I don't know much about gardening and flowers, so Edward pointed out as many plant types as he could, their varying fragrances enveloping me all the while. My favorite area was the rose garden.

Walking through the winding pathways by only the light of the moon, I felt like I was lost in a storybook. Somewhere where mythical creatures were real and everyone could have their fairytale ending. And with Edward by my side, I never wanted to leave.

18


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 10- Bella Point of View**

The next week flew by. I could say, without a doubt, it was because of Edward. It seemed to happen a lot since I met him. When Edward wasn't with me, I could look forward to seeing him again. And when we were together, I enjoyed every second of it. I had only just met him, but already my life had changed so much.

We'd managed to see each other quite a bit the past week, having lunch a few times on campus and even dinner Tuesday night. Edward surprised me at my apartment with pizza and a movie. The pizza was good, though I have to admit, I don't really remember much about the movie. I was too busy enjoying our cuddling session on the couch, even if the evening did end _innocently_ enough. Trust me, that was due to Edward's good intentions… not mine.

The next day I had gone "shopping" with Alice. Though she put up a good fight, eventually she agreed to my conditions of receiving no paid gifts. So we met at her house, where we were joined by Rosalie, and proceeded to pillage Alice's closet. Ironically, we found a beautiful blue dress that fit me perfectly… and still had the tags on it. Though I couldn't prove it, I got the distinct feeling that Alice had purchased the dress and placed it in the closet for me to find. After all, she didn't really care for blue and we weren't exactly the same size. But she seemed so happy to see me in that dress that I didn't put up a fight. Instead, we went back into the closet to "shop" for accessories.

It was now the Friday of my birthday. I cringed out of habit. I was definitely the stereotypical girl that hated to be reminded of what should be a special day. It wasn't the turning older part that bothered me. Instead, I hated being the center of attention while people gathered around, singing and giving gifts. It always felt so undeserved, so forced. But having Edward and Alice and all the others to celebrate with this year would make it bearable, enjoyable even. If Jacob could have come tonight, it would have been almost perfect.

Walking into my tiny kitchen, I smiled at the wondrous smell. Around me sat four, very large bouquets of various roses. The first that had arrived were the same as the peach colored roses in the bouquet Edward had given me at the Italian restaurant on our first "date." I got the feeling this was not coincidence. They were followed by pink and then yellow roses. The most recent had been a lovely shade of lavender that I didn't even know existed. Apparently, Edward had been paying attention when I commented about my favorite section of his family's gardens. I had received one bouquet of beautiful roses every hour since noon. I was now running out of vases.

Edward had wanted to spend all day with me on my birthday, saying he had everything planned out. But Alice had changed all of that. She had commandeered him to help with decorating their house for the party tonight. I questioned why he needed to decorate all day if the party was just for his family and our small group of friends, as I had requested. Alice simply said it was so that everything would be perfect.

A buzzing sound caught my attention behind me. I remembered my cell phone was on vibrate. I smiled as I picked it up out of my purse to see Jacob's number in the caller id.

"Hey Jake!" I answered.

"Hey Bells!" he said. "You're in a good mood considering it's your birthday. Normally I have to force you to be happy this time of year."

"Yeah, well maybe this year's a turning point for me," I said casually, trying to brush it off.

"Would this have anything to do with a certain new boyfriend?" he asked. Why was it that everyone around me was so observant? Had I always been this easy to read?

"Maybe," I said, but I wasn't willing to give up details that easily. But I reconsidered when Jacob sighed loudly.

"I'm just glad you have some new friends to help you celebrate when I can't be there for you," he said softly.

"Jake, really it's not a big deal," I said trying to cheer him up. "Besides, we can still celebrate when you get back."

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed, but he still didn't seem completely back to his happy self. I decided to switch gears.

"So are you in Portland yet?" I asked.

"No, I'm about to leave," he said. "Just stopped by the bar to pick up my paycheck."

"Crap!" I said and slammed my fist down on the kitchen table. I bit my lip when a sharp pain flared through the side of my hand.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked with a hint of paranoia in his voice.

"Nothing," I said quickly to reassure him. "I just forgot to go by work today to pick up my check." I shook my hand to try and dull the throbbing.

"Want me to grab yours for you?" he offered.

"No, thanks," I answered. "You won't be back until Sunday and I really need to get it into my bank account. Funds are running low, you know?"

"Oh, ok," he said. "Well listen, I gotta roll. But I hope you have an awesome birthday Bells. You deserve it."

"Thanks Jake," I said sincerely. I could tell Jacob was sad about missing my actual birthday and to tell the truth, so was I. But I needed to be able to do this without him. We were both moving on with our lives, without having to be so dependent on each other. Edward and Jacob's new girlfriend were both proof of that. It was only natural.

"See you when I get back," I heard Jacob say through the phone and then he was gone. I grabbed my purse and jacket from the kitchenette table and headed out the door. It was only 4:30, so I should have enough time to get the bar, bank and back. But just to be sure I sent Edward a quick text while walking to my truck.

_Hey! Running to work to pick up check. Might be a few minutes late getting home. 3 B_

Edward and Alice were planning on arriving at my house at 6:00 tonight. Though the party didn't start until 8:00, Alice had insisted to come over early and do my makeup and hair. Of course, I had protested, but then Alice started questioning me about the right way to do my hair to go with the neckline of the dress and the colors of makeup to use to go with the blue of the dress. Since I didn't have the correct answers, Alice put her foot down.

I laughed as I glanced down at my old white button down blouse. She had requested that I wear it so I wouldn't mess up my hair when I changed into the dress. She even told me what kind of underwear would be appropriate for the dress. I took the opportunity to buy real lingerie for the occasion with the little spending money I had. I never knew when Edward's carefully constructed restraint would come crumbling down. '_Happy birthday to me_,' I thought as I walked out of the store last week with the girly bag of black lingerie.

I climbed into my old Chevy and headed toward the bar. Traffic wasn't too bad yet, so I made it to the bar in no time. But I knew it was only a matter of time before rush hour traffic would hit, so I hurried once I arrived to the parking lot of the bar. I didn't see Bruce's car there and, sure enough, the employee entrance was locked. I had to use my key to get in.

Though the bar was usually pretty dark after hours, it really creeped me out today. It was rare that I went in completely alone, usually Bruce was there, so the darkness combined with my eerily echoing steps weren't comforting. I grabbed my paycheck from the breakroom and headed out as fast as I could, locking the door behind me.

As I climbed back into my truck, I noticed an old gray car sitting on the far side of the parking lot right next to the road. I didn't remember it being there when I arrived, but I wasn't really paying attention. It didn't look like there was anyone inside of it when I drove past. Turning right onto the road, I headed toward my bank. Traffic was starting to build up now, so I had to pay attention to the drivers around me more than earlier.

While the drive-through lane at the bank was backed up, the inside line wasn't so bad. So I was able to get in and out fairly quickly. Navigating my truck out of the parking lot once I was done, I was happy to see that it was only 5:15. I would make it home in with a few minutes to spare before Edward and Alice arrived. As I rumbled away from the bank, I glanced in the rearview mirror to see a car behind me that looked a lot like the one from the bar parking lot. But at the moment, the car in front of me slammed on its brakes, causing me to look forward. When I was able to look in the rearview mirror again, the mysterious gray car was no longer there.

A few minutes later, I found myself driving the only vehicle heading down the road to my apartment. I turned my right turn signal on just before I had to turn in the entrance. Glancing in the rearview mirror again, I could just make out a gray car some distance behind me. This was now getting beyond coincidence. I was slightly nervous as I pulled up to the entrance of my apartment. Instead of punching in the number to open the security gate, I left enough room to back out if needed and waited. A few tortuous seconds later the gray car approached… and passed. I let out the breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding.

I watched the gray car drive until I couldn't see it past the shrubs on the opposite side of my apartment complex before entering the code to open the security gate. I felt more at ease as I pulled through and parked in my usual spot. By the time I was out of the truck, I was practically skipping up the stairs, my happiness from earlier in the day and in expectation of tonight back full force. As I let myself into my apartment, the sweet smell of roses assaulted my senses. It heightened my mood even further.

I had only been back inside my apartment a few minutes when a knock at the door caught me off guard. It was only 5:30. Were Edward and Alice early? Walking past the kitchen, the smell of flowers once again hit me. _Surely_ Edward didn't send me more flowers? I cringed at the thought, knowing I didn't have anymore vases. Maybe Esme could loan me one of hers. I was now convinced that this was yet another flower delivery person. So I didn't look through the security hole before opening the door. The cold wind from outside made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, goosebumps breaking out along my arms and the back of my neck.

There before me was the largest bouquet of flowers I'd ever seen in my entire life. The stems and leaves reached out past my doorframe, so much so that I couldn't even see the delivery person who was holding the arrangement by its vase. '_Thank goodness, a vase_,' I thought. The roses this time were a deep, blood red and accented by a single white rose in the center. I smiled as a light breeze pushed the delightful scent through the door. Involuntarily, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

And then I opened my eyes again. It's funny how quickly things can change when you finally open your eyes, both literally and theoretically. The flowers had been lowered so I could finally see the delivery person. My heart stopped, my breathing stopped, my thinking stopped. In the moment that I saw who was behind that door, I realized that the prickly feeling on the back of my neck hadn't been from the cold temperature after all. In that moment, my whole world froze. I could feel the blood drain from my face, a shivering cold ran through my body. There before me, stood James with a wicked smile on his face.

I heard the words come from his mouth painfully slow, "Hello Phoenix." And then, someone hit the switch and everything sped up, much too fast for my panicked mind to keep up with. Before I could react, James had smashed the vase full of flowers on the ground outside my door and had his hands on my shoulders, shoving me back into the apartment, slamming the door behind him. It wasn't until the back of my legs hit the side of the couch that I found my voice.

"NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and pushed against him with all of my power. Of course, he didn't budge at that. But my quick knee to his groin did much better. James groaned loudly and fell to his knees, clutching his "manhood" with a pained look on his face and knocking my coffee table a few feet to the side. I pivoted and ran as fast as I could to the kitchen table where my cell phone was tucked away in my purse. My heart was pounding at what seemed like a dangerous rate, but relief flooded through me as my fingers closed around the tiny phone.

Flipping it open, I turned to see where my attacker was, only to be met with a backhanded slap to the face that I never saw coming. It knocked me back against the kitchen table before I fell to floor. The bowl of fruit sitting atop the table and one of the chairs tumbled with me. Somewhere in there I dropped the phone, my momentary relief once again being replaced by cold fear. I didn't have long to contemplate the feeling before James grabbed a handful of hair and hauled me painfully back to my feet.

"Now who do you think you're calling," he whispered harshly into my ear. I struggled against him, but he easily captured both of my wrists in one of his rough hands. And then I heard the most terrifying sound yet. A low crunching combined with the grinding of metal came from the floor. I couldn't completely tilt my head down because of the hold James still had on my hair. But lowering my eyes confirmed my fear. James had crushed my cell phone to mangled scrap with his foot. I didn't have a landline, that phone had been my only hope. Or maybe not.

Taking a giant breath, I screamed as loud as I could. Internally, I prayed that one of my neighbors was home and could hear me. Before I could get out a decent scream, though, James let go of my hands and placed one over my mouth, the other around the back of my neck to prevent my escape. Unfortunately for him, that left both of my hands free and I frantically scanned my surroundings for something that would be of use.

I found my saving grace in the form of a decorative candle stick sitting on my kitchen counter. I had been so happy when I found it on a clearance rack of a nearby department store, normally too expensive for me to shop in. At the time I was disappointed that there was only one candlestick instead of the matching set. But if it helped me get out of this predicament, it would be worth its weight in gold.

I flung my hand to the side to grab the candlestick, accidentally sending the framed photo of me and Jacob and several books flying. But I was able to grab my target before James had the chance to stop me. I swung with all my might and was satisfied when the heavy candlestick connected with the side of James' head. He didn't fall, but he staggered to the side and released his hold on me. It was enough for me to sprint in the opposite direction, toward the door. I was elated as my fingers closed around the door knob, only to be confused as to why it would not open. Somehow, James had managed to lock the door behind him when he first entered. How had I not noticed that?

I didn't have time to get both locks undone before I sensed James behind me again. I had just a brief second to tense before he once again grabbed me by a handful of hair and yanked me into him. He pulled my head as far back as it would go, leaving my throat exposed. He ran his nose from my collarbone to just underneath my ear, inhaling the whole time. The move alone would have been enough to cause me to shiver in disgust. But combined with his putrid breath, a combination of onions and Wild Turkey, I wanted to be sick instead.

With one last attempt, I pulled my free arm back and struck him across the face. It wasn't enough to make him let go, but it was enough to piss him off that last little bit.

"You really shouldn't have done that," he breathed menacingly into my ear. It was the most terrifying thing I'd ever heard anyone say. It didn't help that I knew he wanted to kill me… or worse.

"What do you want?" I asked with a shaky voice. His eyes widened in surprise, as if I should already know the answer.

"I want us to be together," he said. "The way we're supposed to be." I knew then that he was crazy. I guess I really always knew, but a small part of me had felt pity for him. It was obvious he had a tough life, the way he always came into the bar to drown his sorrows in Jack Daniels. He never spoke to anyone besides me. But now I realized it had just been an unhealthy obsession.

My mind raced to find a way out of this situation. But I couldn't think of anything else to do. James easily overpowered me and there were no more candlesticks nearby. My last thread of hope died. I couldn't help it when a single tear rolled down my cheek, the feeling of complete and utter despair setting in. Instead of compassion, the tear seemed to only incite James' anger even more.

"God, woman!" he roared and pulled me tighter to him. "What do I have to do to make you realize you belong to me!" And with that, I thought of Edward. His beautiful face and mesmerizing eyes. Edward would never treat me this way. He would never think that he owned me. Little did he realize that he did. He owned my heart and soul. I wanted him to own me completely. My stomach clenched and my chest tightened further at the thought that I might never get to see Edward again. I might never get to see the course that my relationship with this amazing man would have taken, what our future would have held.

"Because I belong to someone else," I said, my voice still shaking. Of course, I couldn't just leave it with that, I had to add some venom. "Someone much better than you."

James' eyes widened at my statement and seemed to turn darker. I should have been afraid, but instead I was resigned to my fate. I almost didn't notice when his arms let go of my back and hair. But I felt it when he shoved my chest as hard as he could with both hands. I felt myself fly backwards with such force that my feet came off the floor. And I felt it when collided with the wall, my head smashing into the silver framed mirror that had been a gift from my mother.

I slid slowly to the floor, my head throbbing for a brief moment as a sickly sweet scent filled my nose. I could feel something liquid dripping from my hair and down my forehead. And then I felt nothing at all.

10


	11. Chapter 11

**Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you all have been good this year and that the holidays find you safe and loved. Here's the next installment… enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 11- Edward Point of View**

My fingers drummed on the steering wheel impatiently as I waited for the light to change. From the corner of my eye, I could see Alice roll her eyes. But she knew well enough not to say anything. I accelerated faster than necessary when the light turned green. The birthday girl was waiting on me after all. Well, maybe.

Originally, I had planned on spending the whole day with Bella. She didn't seem very excited about this special day, so I had hoped to show her such a good time that she couldn't help to look forward to her birthday next year. We'd have breakfast at Esme's favorite restaurant overlooking the bay, then a visit to the zoo. We'd go by Whole Foods and I'd let Bella choose her favorite fruits and pastries. And then we'd spend the rest of the afternoon in one of my favorite places on Earth. The meadow. I hadn't planned anything after that, so that we could spend as much time in the meadow as we wanted.

Instead, Alice had insisted that I help her with decorating for Bella's party. I refused at first, but Alice knew how to get to me. A little bit of whining and pouting and one guilt trip later, I found myself stringing white lights around the trees lining the driveway to the house instead of spending valuable time Bella. Although Alice went overboard as usual, the house was spectacular and would hopefully make Bella see how much everyone loved her. My plan was still a good idea though, so I'd tuck it away for another time.

I had pushed myself to the limit, even helping Alice with things she said I didn't need to do. But my philosophy was that the sooner we all finished up, the sooner I could head over to Bella's. We did actually finish early and were getting ready to leave when I got Bella's text. She had to run an errand and probably wouldn't be back until 6:00, or even a few minutes later. So I sat on the couch tapping my foot until I drove Alice out of room in a huff.

The time had finally passed, though, and we were almost to Bella's apartment. Being closer to her made me feel better, but I still wouldn't be complete until we were truly together. If I was lucky, I might even get to see her blush about the flowers I had sent. I couldn't help myself. She seemed so astonished by the flowers in Esme's garden and wondered aloud why I didn't seem interested in them. She wasn't the type to realize that they weren't the most beautiful thing in the garden that night. Not by a long shot.

We pulled up to the entrance of Bella's apartment and I rolled the window of the Volvo down, about to dial her unit. But at the same time a gray sedan rolled up to the opposite side of the gate activating its motion sensor. The gate opened slowly and I was planning to allow the other car to go first. But it didn't give me the chance to flag it through. As soon as the gate was open wide enough, it sped through with squealing tires and jumped the curb to get around my car.

"What an ass!" Alice yelled as we watched the car speed away. I simply shook my head and proceeded through the gate. I was about to see Bella and nothing could ruin my good mood. We parked the Volvo and I led the way up the stairs, pausing at the site of shattered glass and flowers scattered across the landing. The door to her apartment was cracked open.

"Bella?" I called as I stepped into her living room. But I didn't have to hear the continuing silence to know something was wrong. The scene before me did a good enough job of that, causing my stomach to drop.

I almost walked into her coffee table because it was out of place, sitting off center in the entryway rather than in front of her couch. I heard Alice gasp behind me as she followed me inside. I only gave a short glance to the rest of the scene before I was flying through the house.

"BELLA!" I yelled urgently, looking in the kitchen area before I went into her bedroom. I checked her small closet and bathroom, even under her bed, before coming back into the living room. It was then that I finally took the opportunity to really look at the damage. Home décor items were strewn across the floor among more bits of shattered glass. I walked passed the kitchen counter, where four vases sat untouched, each filled with different colored roses. The sweet smell of the flowers was tinged with something else. Something that burned the back of my throat, yet I couldn't quite place.

Bella's purse was still sitting on the table, opened wide and tilted to the side a bit. A chair in her kitchen was overturned beside a mangled pile of metal and wires. It wasn't until I knelt down to examine it that I realized it was her cell phone. Next to it was a wooden frame, the glass inside shattered. I picked it up and dumped out the broken glass to reveal a picture of a smiling Bella and Jacob, probably taken several years ago. My heart clenched and I lifted my hand to my chest, grabbing it tightly as if it would actually help ease the pain.

My heart raced as I started piecing together what must have happened. _Someone forced their way in. She ran and tried to call for help. They smashed the phone. She fought._ But it was Alice's sharp intake of breath from the doorway that made my heart completely stop.

"Edward," she whispered. She was frozen behind the door. As I walked closer, I could see a smashed mirror lying on the floor. The wall behind it was scraped from where the mirror had slid down. It was as if something substantial hit it.

"There's _blood_," Alice continued to whisper, her voice now shaking. Sure enough, several shards of glass were covered with a deep red substance. Now that I looked closer, some of the markings on the wall, that I initially thought were scrapes, were actually the same red color. So that was the odd smell that burned my throat.

My recap of the situation flashed through my mind again, but this time it had a new ending. _Someone forced their way in. She ran and tried to call for help. They smashed the phone. She fought… and they won._

"Call Jasper," I said as I reached for my own phone.

"Wh- what?" Alice asked, her eyes a little glazed over in shock.

"Alice!" I said harshly to snap her out of it. "Call Jasper, now!" That seemed to do it as she pulled her purse from her shoulder and fumbled through it before finally finding her cell phone. As she dialed her boyfriend's number, I pulled out my own cell phone and called Emmett.

"Hey, man," he answered on the second ring. "What's up?"

"She's gone," I said quickly. I felt sick having to admit it out loud. It made it seem so much more… real.

"What?" Emmett answered, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Bella!" I practically yelled. "We came over to her apartment and… it's… awful…"

"I'm getting in the car now," he said and I could hear shuffling in the background. "Tell me how to get there." I opened my mouth to give him directions, but then another thought struck me.

"No, I need you to go somewhere else for me," I said. "And I need you to give me Jacob's number." Emmett listened as I instructed him to head to the Blue Moon and wait for me there. I wrote down Jacob's number on the back of my hand when Emmett found the number saved in his phone. We didn't bother with pleasantries as I immediately hung up.

Even though Alice was still on the phone, I could now hear police sirens in the distance. I walked toward her and she told Jasper to hold on, lowering the phone from her ear.

"Is Jasper on his way?" I asked.

"Yeah," and she nodded. "He said he's two minutes from here."

"I can hear the police cars, so you should be safe," I said. "I'm going over to the Blue Moon with Emmett to see if we can find any clues as to what might have happened. That was the last place she went before… this." Alice's eyes widened a bit, but she nodded in understanding.

"Call me if they find _anything_ that could help me find her," I instructed and then ran out the door. My heart constricted as I stepped on the red roses lying outside her door. Was that how this monster got inside? I wouldn't be able to stand it if _my_ flowers had been Bella's undoing. If I had been the one to cause her harm.

The Volvo peeled through the parking as fast as I could push it. I had to stop at the security gate and wait for it to swing open, painfully slow. I took the time to dial Jacob's number. He was the only one who could help me, if indeed my suspicion was true.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Jacob, this is Edward Cullen," I said, but didn't wait for him to respond. "Something's happened to Bella."

"WHAT?" he screamed, even louder than Emmett. I thought I heard tires squealing in the background.

"Her apartment was trashed and there was blood," I said and then had to forcefully swallow the lump that was building in my throat. It was hard to describe what I was feeling at the moment. It was an odd combination of sorrow, helplessness and rage.

"Oh, God," Jacob whispered this time, realization dousing the flames of his temper.

"Do you think it could have been that James guy, the one from the bar last weekend?" I asked and turned a corner a little too sharply. The Volvo's wheels squealed and I veered halfway into the lane next to me. Fortunately, a black truck swerved out of my way, obviously paying more attention that I was.

"It's possible," he said. "I'm turning around now, but it will take me about two hours to get back into the city."

"Do you know anything about him that could help?" I asked. "Where he lives, who his friends are, anything?"

"All I know is what I saw at the bar," he answered frustrated. "He was pretty much a loner, but always hung at Bella's station. What are you doing right now?"

"The police are already at Bella's apartment with my sister," I told him. "I'm going to the bar since that's the last place she told me she was going."

"Oh God," Jacob moaned. "It's my fault!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused.

"I talked to her, probably just before she left," he explained. "I reminded her that today was payday at work. She had forgotten to pick up her check. I offered to pick it up for her, but she needed to deposit it in her bank account to have cash."

"Jacob, it's not your fault," I said sternly. "You can't blame yourself for anything _he_ did."

"That's easy for you to say," Jacob said angrily. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself." It actually wasn't easy for me to say. I was such a hypocrite. I'd already begun blaming myself for sending her the flowers that creep had used to get into her apartment. I'd never forgive myself either, if… No! I violently shook the thought from my head.

"Nothing's going to happen," I said, though more for my benefit than Jacob's. "We're going to find her and she's going to be just fine."

"Look, I'll call you when I get into town to meet up with you," he said. Again, there were no pleasantries. We both just hung up.

I pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Moon next to Emmett's hunter green jeep. We both got out and without a word headed to the employee entrance. It was locked, so I banged on it as loud as I could. We waited for a moment and I scanned the parking lot. There were three other cars there. There had to be someone inside. So I banged on the door again with my fist and didn't stop until the door swung open a few minutes later.

"What the hell?" Bruce said as he glared at me and then Emmett. When he looked back at me, recognition must have struck because he scrunched his eyebrows in concentration.

"You're Bella's boyfriend right?" he asked and relaxed a little.

"Yeah, Edward," I said. "Look, something's happened. Bella's been… taken." It was still difficult for me to say. Concern crossed Bruce's face and he stepped aside, indicating for me and Emmett to enter.

We walked into the rear of the bar, down the same hallway Bella had led me last week, and into an office. I explained about Bella's text and then what we found at her apartment. Finally, I told Brice my suspicions about James, to which Emmett gave a lethal sounding growl.

"Is there anything you can remember from when Bella was here earlier," I asked. "Anything that might help us find her?"

"I'm so sorry," he said regretfully. "I wasn't here when she came. She must have used her key to come in." How could she have been so stupid, coming here alone? Knowing there were evil people out there. Knowing that James was out there. The girl had no sense of self preservation.

The door behind us burst open and Victoria the waitress sashayed in. She was so involved in a gossip magazine that she didn't even notice us sitting there.

"Bruce, we really gotta talk about my raise. I work way too hard compared to the other girls…" she trailed off as she realized she wasn't just talking to Bruce. I halfway expected an embarrassed blush, as I had become so accustomed to from Bella. But I remembered who I was really talking about as Victoria's face lit up with a smile when her eyes landed on me.

"Well, hello again," she purred.

"Victoria," Bruce said, calling her attention back to him. "Something's happened to Bella. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

It was just a split second, but I saw it. Something on her face showed recognition. She was a master of disguise and quickly covered it with a look of sadness, but it wasn't fast enough to get past me. In fact, it triggered something in me as I remembered the way that Victoria had looked at Bella the night of the incident with James. I realized now that she had been angry, jealous even.

"Oh no," she said faintly. "That's _horrrible_." The way she drug out the word was like a bad actress from an old-time melodrama. I knew she was faking it.

"Bullshit!" I yelled and was out of my chair marching toward the red-haired liar before Emmett could grab me. The girl was smart enough to recognize my anger and she backed up a few steps before regaining her arrogant composure. She lifted her head high and glared at me.

"Are you calling me a liar?" she asked.

"You bet your ass!" I spat out and raised the volume of my voice. "I saw the way you looked at Bella after James attacked her. You weren't afraid for her, you were pissed that James was giving her the attention that _you_ wanted. Just like you were pissed that I gave _my_ attention to her instead of you!"

As I spoke, I took another step toward her. She instinctively took a step backward, and then another, until her back was flat against the office door that had closed behind her.

"How dare you!?" she shrieked. "Bruce, are you going to let him talk to me like this?" But Brice didn't say anything from behind me. She looked frantically between me and him, causing her red strands of hair to fly flew back and forth with the motion. And with that, the final piece fell into place.

"You're Vicky aren't you?" I whispered. The realization hit me so hard I wasn't sure how to act. She stopped nodding and just stared at me for a moment. She glanced quickly at the other two men in the room, perhaps silently pleading with them for help. I turned to see Bruce and Emmett's confused faces altering between me and Victoria.

"She's James' girlfriend," I explained and looked back at the sorry excuse of a woman standing in front of me. Finally, Bruce spoke up from behind me.

"Victoria, do you know where Bella is?" he asked.

"No," she said, the arrogant tone of her voice had returned.

"You lying little…" I managed to cut off my sentence before saying something my mother would have been ashamed of. But I couldn't stop myself from angrily marching toward her. She had no where to go and just cringed against the wall. "Tell me where she is!"

"I don't know," she said with a controlled calm.

"Victoria," Bruce's voice called from behind me again. He had stood and taken a few steps closer, probably ready to pull me off of Victoria when I wiped that smug look from her face.

"Victoria, this is serious," he said. "If you don't tell us the truth right now it will could cost you your job."

"It could cost you a lot more than that," I said, my tone still very low. I looked her dead in the eye and leaned in so close our noses were almost touching. "If something happens to Bella, and you didn't do everything in your power to help, you could go to jail for aiding James." She controlled her expressions and remained neutral. But her breathing sped up to tell me she really was scared.

"Somehow you don't strike me as someone who would enjoy jail time that much, being cooped up in a cage with absolutely no freedom," I taunted her.

"No…" she whispered and shook her head. But we were wasting too much time. Every minute Victoria lied to me was another minute James had Bella. Another minute he could be hurting her or… No, I couldn't think about that now. I had to do everything in my power to find her. Starting with Victoria.

The thought caused something in me to snap. I grabbed Victoria roughly by the shoulders, not feeling one bit ashamed at my actions because I knew it was nothing compared to what James had already done to Bella.

"TELL ME!" I roared and Victoria actually shook under my grasp.

"I don't know!" she frantically yelled back, finally showing emotion that she didn't try to hide. "Honestly, I don't know where she is right now." Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears and I had the odd feeling that for once she was telling the truth. I wished I had Jasper with me. He was always better at reading people.

"Then what do you now?" I asked, forcing my voice back to a normal volume level and letting go of Victoria.

"I knew James liked her too much," she admitted. "But I never thought he would take it this far."

"Where could he have taken her?" Emmett asked from behind me. I was surprised that in this situation, I was the one who lost control and Emmett was the voice of reason. This should have been the question I asked five minutes ago, but I was too preoccupied with my own rage. I needed to control my rage better.

"He doesn't have a place of his own," she explained. "He either crashes with me or at the auto shop where he works." With that I finally snapped back into action. We quickly got the address of Victoria's apartment and the name of the auto shop. Bruce printed directions to each location from his computer. Victoria even offered the key to her apartment.

"You go to the apartment," I told Emmett. "And call Jasper to update him on what we've found. I'm heading to the auto shop." We both ran out of the bar as fast as we could, driving out of the parking lot in a cloud of dust. I stopped at the first red light only long enough to dig my ringing cell phone out of my pocket before speeding off.

"Jacob," I answered when I recognized the number.

"I'm 20 minutes away," he said. "Anything new?" I explained what we had just found out and told him the location of the auto shop where I was headed since it was closer to the side of town he'd be driving in from.

"Listen Edward, don't underestimate this guy," Jacob warned me. "He may look like a greasy bum, but he's smart and quick. Do me a favor and wait for me to get there, for Bella's sake."

"Sure," I told Jacob, knowing full and damn well that I would do whatever it took to make Bella safe again. With, or _without_, Jacob.

11


	12. Chapter 12

**Hope everyone had a great holiday! I know I did. Here's the next chapter, a little something for you to read with the welcoming of the New Year. **

**Remember, I love to read your reviews. So let me know what you think. Also, be sure to recommend the story to any communities. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 12- Bella Point of View**

My head felt like venom was pulsing through it. A slow, yet sharp, pain was throbbing against the inside of my skull. Slowly I opened my eyes, but it didn't do a lot of good because of the tunnel vision I was experiencing. My sight was blurry with a dark ring around the outer edges. Bright stars were shooting across what I could see. I lay there perfectly still for a few minutes allowing my vision to return at its own pace. As it did, I became aware of my other senses one by one.

I breathed deeply to try and help ease the pain in my head, but all that did was make me aware of the strong smelling fumes coming from around me. Whatever it was made my nose burn and eyes water. I shivered roughly, not just from the chilly air around me, but also from the cold table I was laying on. Turning my head slightly to the side, I could see I was laying on a large metal surface, like what the guys back in our high school's shop class would work on.

Beyond the table was a mechanic's shop of some kind. Several cars and trucks, including what I now assumed to be James' gray car, were sitting inside the closed bay doors. Large bins of automotive fluids lined one wall, which probably explained the strong fumes. The only way to describe the inside of the garage was dirty. A thin film of dust and dirt covered almost everything, as if things hadn't been touched in weeks. Even the windows were covered in a layer of brown dirt, preventing any sunlight from filtering through. Not that Seattle got much sunlight this time of year.

With my vision fully restored, I managed to push myself to a sitting position. But when I pulled my hands up to brace myself, I knocked something over the edge of the table. A large, metal wrench hit the concrete floor with a loud clang. I suddenly heard something moving behind me.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said before I could turn around. I almost wish I hadn't, because when I saw James walking out of a lean-to office, the events of the past few… hours? Days? I had no idea how long I'd been out. But the events came back to me nonetheless. James seemed satisfied with himself, walking toward me happily with a big smile on his face.

I knew I had to get out of here, wherever here is. I spotted a door behind James and tried to run for it. But the sudden movement of jumping down from the table to a standing position made my head spin. My knees wobbled and the world tilted. I tensed, expecting to hit the floor. But the impact didn't come. Instead I got something much worse.

"Easy there, Phoenix, I've got you," James voice whispered gently into my ear as he cradled me in his arms. It was odd to hear so much care and concern in his voice. He honestly thought he was taking care of me. I shivered in revulsion. Of course, James wouldn't recognize how much I despised him.

"I know, its cold in here," he said and held me tighter rubbing my arms to try and warm me. "We don't have a heater. But we'll be out of here soon enough and can go somewhere warmer." My breathing increased. He planned on taking me away? I couldn't allow that. If he did, they might never find me. Surely someone was looking for me by now. Right?

James picked me up off the floor and carried me back over to the metal table, sitting me on top like a child. He looked in my eyes and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I'm really sorry we were interrupted at the bar last week," he said sadly. "There was so much more I wanted to say to you. This all could have been avoided if those assholes would have left us alone." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! He honestly thought my friends were the problem.

"But all that matters is that we're together now," he said and touched my forehead gently. I winced, this time from actual pain. "I know it hurts. You had a nasty cut from when you fell into the mirror." I had forgotten this part of the story, but nothing brings back memories like pain. Was he completely off his rocker? I didn't fall. He pushed me into that mirror!

"But I took care of you," he explained. "I found a first aid kit and pulled the glass out of your head. I cleaned it and even put antibiotic ointment on it so you wouldn't get an infection." His hand moved down to cup my cheek.

"I'll always take care of you. I love you, everything about you. Even the smell of your blood is beautiful." He whispered so tenderly, as if he was reciting the most loving words ever shared between a man and a woman. For a second all I could do was blink at him. But as I finally realized just how sick James was I had to swallow back the bile that was forming in my throat. It was amazing I was still conscious, between the concussion I probably had and the rollercoaster of emotions running through me. I was scared shitless and grossed out all at the same time.

"What about Vicky?" I asked in a whisper. After the chaos in my apartment, I didn't think a simple 'No' would do the trick. I hoped remembering his girlfriend would have more of an impact.

"She was never right for me," he answered easily. "Not like you. You're so kind and selfless. All Victoria cares about is herself."

'Victoria?' I thought as I remembered one of our conversations from the bar. He had said she was a redhead. And I knew one redhead named Victoria that only cared about herself.

"Victoria… the waitress from the Blue Moon?" I asked.

"Yeah, I thought you knew," he said, lifting an eyebrow. I was about to shake my head, but stopped myself. This was an opportunity I could use.

"Oh, well… yeah, actually," I stuttered and looked down. "She talks about you all the time. She really loves you, ya know?" James just looked at me confused, so I continued. "She's really a special woman, a great friend. You're lucky to have her." After a second, James just snorted.

"See what I mean?" he asked with a soft smile. "You are so selfless. Here you are, denying your own feelings for me, so that you don't deprive Victoria of someone she loves. But its ok, you and I are meant to be. In the end, Victoria will understand."

He pulled my face towards his, pursing his lips for a kiss, and I could sit still no longer. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away as hard as I could. Luckily, I caught him off guard and he staggered back a few steps. I jumped off the table again, but he caught me easily, pushing me backwards until the small of my back was pressed painfully against the metal table by his body. He swiftly pinned both of my hands behind my back with one hand and grabbed a handful of hair with the other, using it to pull my head back. My neck was stretched at an odd angle. It forced me to look up into his face. The more I struggled, the harder he pulled my hair and pressed me against the table. I was now having difficulty breathing against him.

His smile had faded and was replaced by a hard sneer. His top lip was actually curled back to expose gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched tightly. I knew it wasn't wise to anger him, but I just couldn't let him have his way. He inhaled deeply a few times and seemed to relax a bit, a more neutral expression returning to his face.

"You know, that's one of the things I like about you," he said. "You're feisty. You make things exciting. But you need to learn how far you can push me. Because if you fight me… I. Will. Win." With each of the last three words, he moved his head closer to mine. He intended to try and kiss me again. But with my hands restrained, I only had one option. It had worked before and I prayed it would work again.

I pulled my right knee up as fast as I could. Sure enough, it connected with James' groin and he made a strangled sound somewhere between a moan and a scream. But the point was that he let go of me and I turned to run. I made it to the door but it was locked by a deadbolt. Of course, there was no key. Frantically, I turned to scan my surroundings, hoping for another way out. Out of the corner of my eye I saw James getting back to his feet. I was out of time.

I bolted to the far side of the large shop where several cars sat side by side underneath a row of windows. I picked up a heavy tire iron and smashed a hole in the window large enough to climb through. Before the last of the glass had fallen to the dirty floor, I launched the tire iron through the window and heard it land on the parking lot gravel with a thud. Finally, I dropped to my knees and crawled underneath the closest car. I said a silent prayer that James would think I got out through the window.

Lying on my stomach, bracing myself with my hands on the dirty floor, I tried to control my breathing the best I could. I could hear movement from the front of the shop and bit my lip when James's feet came into view. He was walking slowly toward my hiding spot. I knew that all it would take was for him to drop down and look under the cars. I could only hope I had made enough of a distraction by breaking the glass.

My heart was pounding so hard, I could feel each 'thump-thump' pressing into the floor through my chest. But I didn't dare breathe as James made his way around the car I was hiding under. I could now clearly see his shoes, a pair of old work boots with the laces untied. They were covered in dried spots of oil and mud. He made his way around the back of the car, probably having seen the broken window.

"Damnit," I heard him mutter. He paused for a few moments in front of the window before turning and walking in the other direction. I quietly exhaled and laid my forehead against the cold concrete, closing my eyes in relief. It overwhelmed me so much that I didn't notice when the footsteps stopped.

But I did notice when a pair of calloused hands wrapped around my wrists. I looked up into James' smiling face and screamed. He pulled me out from underneath the car as I kicked and thrashed, banging and cutting my body against the underside of the car. This time he didn't bother to drag me to my feet. Instead he flipped me over on my back and straddled my wait. He held onto my wrists as I continued to fight with all the strength I had. But it was a futile attempt.

"Why won't you listen to me?!" he asked angrily although he still had a smile on his face. "I told you, Phoenix, I'm the best at this game. No matter what you do, I will win."

His words brought back the sense of despair I remembered from the apartment just before I blacked out. It was a strange cold feeling and somewhat numbing all at once. Tears once again filled my eyes as I realized that no one was coming for me. No one knew where I was. No one would save me. I couldn't even save myself.

"Please," I begged, but James took it as an invitation instead of a plea. I turned my head to the side as he descended his head to mine for a third time. He didn't try to turn my face back to his, only moved lower to kiss along my jawline and then down my neck. I tried to hold back my tears and sobs. But the tears slid easily down my cheeks and the sobs were only muted, coming out as pained whimpers. I didn't look as James sat up and transferred my wrists to one of his large hands. But when he grabbed the top of my blouse and ripped all the way down the middle, causing the buttons to fly across the floor, I screamed.

"NO!" I shrieked as the cold air hit my sensitive skin. James' smile grew as he took in the sight of the black lace bra I had bought just for my birthday. It was supposed to be for Edward's eyes only. I thought about the fact that I was still a virgin, saving myself for the right man who loved me the right way. I knew with all my heart that man was Edward. But now here I was about to lose that special gift to a psycho on the dirty floor of a cold auto shop. I might not even live through it. But sometimes there are worse things than death.

By now my breathing was erratic and I was afraid I was hyperventilating. I once again began thrashing, but it was all beginning to be too much. The tunnel vision and shooting stars had returned. I had a vision of Charlie and Renee and, if they had been alive, how incredibly saddened they would have been that this was happening to me. With one final burst of energy I struggled against James with all my might and screamed as loud as I could through my raw throat. But he forced me hard against the floor with his palm on my chest, causing me to knock the back of my head against the concrete. The last thing I remember was James' head snapping up to the sound of an intimidating growl coming from the opposite side of the shop.

7


	13. Chapter 13

**WOW! So many hits for the last chapter. Who knew? Thanks for the great reviews and sorry for the cliffhanger… he he! Here's the follow up you've all been waiting for. **

**It may be a little longer than normal for my next update, as I'm still weighing where to take the story after this. I have a few ideas, but let me know if you guys have any thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 13- Edward Point of View**

I pulled the Volvo into the gravel parking lot of the auto shop slowly. The parking lot was pitch black since the street lamps had all been busted. I drove past this place twice before I finally spotted the tiny sign on a stick next to the road.

There was a faint light coming from inside the shop, barely visible through the dirty windows. There were no cars in the parking lot, so it was my first indication that there might be someone inside. If James had brought Bella here, I didn't want to notify him of my arrival, so I turned off my headlights. I'm not sure if it really made a difference, I've just seen them do it before on TV cop shows.

I parked a little ways down from the front door of the shop so my approaching car would not be heard. I walked as quietly as possible on the loose gravel, ducking underneath the windows as I passed. I could hear muffled footsteps from inside, so at least I had further confirmation that someone was there.

Suddenly I heard the sound of glass shattering and instinctively flinched. I covered my head but quickly realized the sound was not coming from the window above me. Instead it seemed to be coming from further inside the building. I hurried along to the front door and tried the doorknob but it was locked. My entire being froze when I heard the most beautiful and terrifying sound of my life.

A scream. Bella's unmistakable scream. She was alive. But for how long?

I frantically searched for another way in. I could have busted a window, but I didn't see anything around heavy enough to do the job. I pounded against the door, but it still wouldn't budge. I was pulling my cell phone from my pocket to call Emmett, Jacob, anyone that could help, until I heard Bella scream again. This time with a louder, urgent "No!" With thoughts of the things James could be doing to her running before my eyes, I dropped my phone and slammed my body into the door with everything I had.

The door jam broke under the weight of my body and swung inward. I stumbled through the opening and scanned my eyes quickly to the back of the shop in the direction of the scuffle, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. The sight before me drove my rage beyond the point that any man, or human for that matter, should feel. My vision turned red and I struggled to see through it.

Bella was lying on the floor with James sitting on top of her. Her white blouse was covered in dirt and ripped down the middle, exposing her upper body. The only thing that covered her was a black bra. James was smiling as he looked at her… the bastard was smiling! He held her in place with his body weight and controlled both her wrists in one of his hands. His other free hand was cupping her neck and beginning its downward descent.

I was nano-seconds from launching myself at James and snapping his neck when Bella picked back up her fight. Her tiny body thrashed to escape but James wasn't going anywhere. He moved his free hand from her neck to the center of her chest and pushed her forcefully down. Her head hit the concrete with a sickening thud and then Bella stopped moving.

At first I didn't realize the agonizing scream that echoed off the shop walls was my own. But then James looked up at me and our eyes met. His smile instantly turned to a sneer.

"Well this just got a lot more interesting," he said confidently and pushed off Bella to a standing position. Her head lolled to the side and was the only movement her tiny body made. I felt a momentary stab of fear that she could be seriously injured, which resulted in my desire to kill James growing ten fold. I met his eyes again as he began to stalk forward. Once he was a safe distance away from Bella's lifeless body, I launched myself at him.

The propulsion combined with the weight of my body gave me the upper hand and I easily knocked James backward into his gray car. I was acting on instinct and my hands seemed to move of their own accord, right into his face. His sick mind seemed to enjoy it though, as he laughed and egged me on while I punched him in the nose, mouth, jaw and anywhere else I could connect with. A burning sensation was growing in the shoulder I had used to bust open the door, but I continued to ignore it. After a few moments, James seemed to grow tired of this game and pulled his knee almost all the way to his chest.

"Enough!" he yelled in a deep voice. Using the car as leverage, he placed his dirty work boot against my stomach and shoved. I had nothing to brace myself with and staggered back a few feet.

"As much fun as this would be to draw things out," he said and wiped some blood from his busted lip, "I'm done playing with you. We have somewhere to be." Without looking at her, he gestured to Bella with a flick of his head. I chanced a glance at her and was surprised to see her trying to move around a little. She was regaining consciousness. But turning my attention away from James gave him the opportunity he needed. He knew that Bella was my only weakness.

I wasn't prepared as James' fist collided with my jaw. He put such force behind it that I went down easily. I caught myself on the concrete floor and felt a pop in my shoulder. The pain was now agonizing, but I couldn't focus on that. I had to protect Bella. I was trying to push myself off the floor when a quick click made me freeze in place.

"This ends now," James said slowly as he stood above me. I turned my face upward to see him standing tall, legs spread, holding a gun in both hands. It was pointed at me not two inches from my head. My heart ached at that moment, a quick tightening of my chest. But it wasn't from fear of dying. Instead, it was from the sorrow of not experiencing life further, with my family, with my friends… and with Bella. All the moments we could have had flashed before my eyes. Continuing to learn and love each other. Graduating college. Proposing and marriage. Our first home. Our first time…

A loud thud and gasp broke me from my thoughts. James now held the gun by his side in one hand, the other lifted to hold the back of his head. He had a strange look upon his face. His knees shook and then buckled. The gun fell and bounced on the floor as James dropped to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head. My eyes lifted to the figure standing behind him, a woozy Bella holding a giant wrench tightly in both hands. She let out a deep breath before she began to waiver, too. I was by her side and caught her just as she fell to her knees, both of us kneeling on the floor and breathing hard.

"Bella," I gasped and wrapped her tightly in my arms. She didn't say anything back, just clung to me and buried her face in my shirt. I looked her over frantically as I held her. She didn't seem to have any serious physical damage, though there was a bruise on her cheek and a fresh cut on the back of her head. I could see the dried blood in her hair and remembered the bloody glass shards in her apartment. Her once white blouse hung around her upper torso in shreds, not really doing anything to cover her chilled skin. She took another deep, shaky breath and I could tell she was trying to hold it together and stay calm. Always trying to be the strong one. I lifted her chin with my finger to see chocolate eyes brimming with tears.

"I thought I was supposed to be saving you," I teased and she snorted. It caused a few tears to spill over, but she was smiling now. Relief seemed to wash over her as it did me. She once again pressed her face to my chest and pulled me tighter. I placed a tender kiss on the top of her head before burying my nose in her hair and inhaled her scent, grateful that she was once again safe with me.

"How sweet," James' sinister voice interrupted us, sending a shiver down my spine. Bella froze in my arms but didn't look up. I raised my head to look him in the eye, but didn't loosen my grip on Bella. That is, until I saw he head the gun pointed at the both of us. Then I took Bella by the shoulders and gently pushed her behind me so that I was shielding her with my body.

Although James controlled the situation by the gun in his hand, he seemed as if he was dizzy. He gripped a large metal table tightly with his other hand, like he might fall without it. His eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing and every few seconds he would shake his head, maybe trying to clear his vision.

"Move," he instructed and gestured to the side with his gun. I followed his direction with one arm behind me on Bella's side to pull her with me.

"No!" he growled. "Move away from her!" I stopped in my tracks for a moment. I didn't look back at Bella this time. I already knew that I wouldn't leave her. I shook my head firmly, which only pissed off James more.

"The girl belongs to me!" he yelled and then winced. His hand left the table momentarily to touch the back of his head. Bella must have put everything she had into swinging that wrench.

"I'm afraid not," I said to him calmly and stood my ground. I was taking the chance that James wanted Bella so much that he wouldn't hurt me with her so close. It was the only way I could think of to keep her safe for the moment.

"You know, murder's not my usual game," he said, this time a bit more calmly. "But I'll make an exception for you unless you hand her over… NOW!" With that, he once again cocked the hammer of the gun. It didn't matter. I knew without a doubt that I would never even consider turning Bella over to this monster. Of course, I forgot what a self sacrificing person she was until I felt her tentative hand on my shoulder.

"Edward…" she whispered.

"No," I whispered harshly back without pulling my gaze from James.

"Edward, please," she begged with obvious pain in her voice. I couldn't stand not looking in her eyes at this moment. They were truly the window to her soul, normally the only way I could get a real reading on her thoughts. "I wouldn't be able to live if anything happens to you."

My resolve crumbled and I was about to turn to her when a tiny movement behind James caught my eye. I glanced quickly so as not to alert James and saw the faint outline of a tall, muscular person crouching behind a large oil bin. I pulled my attention back to James, but he was enraptured with Bella's plea as she peeked around my shoulder. She hadn't noticed our visitor, she was too short to see where they were hiding.

I glanced one more time to the person's hiding spot just as they chanced a look over the top of the bin. Their face passed into a small line of light. Dark hair and russet skin. Jacob!

A strange feeling passed through me and I realized it was hope. Even though James had a gun, Jacob and I might stand a chance together. Two against one. Even if it meant I had to take a bullet. I would give my life ten times over for the girl standing behind me. The girl I was falling in love with. I only wanted the chance to tell her that, at least once.

I caught Jacob's eye and he nodded. It was as if we could read each other's minds and a silent exchange took place between us. Only a few seconds had passed and I returned my attention to James. He was growing impatient as he stared at his prize. I took a deep breath and did something I never thought I would do. I turned my back on the man pointing a gun at me.

I was finally able to look at Bella's face, and more importantly stare into her haunting eyes. Her pale flesh was covered in goosebumps, though I had had no idea if they were from the cold or her fright. This certainly wasn't how I had pictured seeing Bella undressed for the first time. I took my time unbuttoning my own shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. At least I still had my white undershirt on.

"Come on lovers," James called from behind me. "I don't have all day. Decide!"

I brought my hands up to grasp Bella by the shoulders. I looked her in the eyes for a moment, my mouth set in a hard line.

"I'm sorry," I said loud enough for James to hear. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle behind me. Bella's face fell, not in sadness but acceptance. It broke my heart that she was so willing to give up her life for me. It wasn't fair. I wasn't worth it. She nodded and took a deep breath before starting to step around me.

"NOW!" I heard Jacob call from behind us. And then so many things happened at once.

I tightened my grip on Bella's shoulders and pushed her to the ground, hard. I tried as much as possible to cushion the impact for her, but you can only do so much with concrete when you're trying to dodge a bullet. I made sure to cover her tiny body with my own as I looked up at the scene before me.

Jacob had launched himself from behind the table and tackled James to the floor. In that moment, both Bella and I jerked as a shot rang out. It was loud, echoing off the walls and ringing in my ears. The two men rolled out of sight behind a car, the force of Jacob's attack sending them flying. I glanced down to check on Bella, though I still could not hear anything other than the ringing in my ears, and a flash of silver caught my eye. The gun! My heart raced as I closed my fingers around the cold handle of the gun.

"Stay here," I said to Bella after making sure she wasn't injured. She just stared at me wide eyed as I stood and walked toward where Jacob and James had disappeared. I walked around the side of the car to see Jacob lying still on his side while James was struggling to get to his feet.

"Uh-uh," I said and pointed the gun at James. I aimed between his eyes and didn't break his gaze. I heard footsteps behind me as Bella approached. James finally broke our stare when he couldn't help but look at her.

"JACOB!" she screamed and ran to his side. I still didn't look away from James, though he was visibly pained by her refusal to acknowledge him.

"How dare you go to him!" James yelled and began toward her.

"Don't move!" I ordered, but he didn't slow down. I knew I couldn't take him in his state. His adrenaline was probably pumping again and mine was beyond gone. So I did the only thing I could. I lowered the gun and shot him in the kneecap as he passed. He immediately dropped to the ground and screamed a high pitched sound. As he gasped to intake air and finally broke his shrieks for a spilt second, I heard something else in the background. Sirens.

Flashing blue lights flickered through the dirty windows. The lights became brighter, the sirens became louder, as the police got closer. I remained still all the while, never taking my eyes off James. My stomach felt sick at what I'd just done. But when I reminded myself of what I was protecting, and more specifically who I was protecting, I felt more than justified. Someone else probably would have just killed the asshole. Car doors slammed, footsteps approached.

"Drop your weapon!" an authoritative voice ordered from behind me. I slowly moved my hands to the side and crouched to the ground, placing the gun down. I was quickly forced onto my stomach on the dirty floor. My hands were pulled behind my back painfully and I could feel the coldness of the handcuffs snapping onto my wrists.

"Stop, he's cool," another voice said and I was immediately let go. I rolled onto my back to see a uniformed police office and Jasper, the essence of calm and collected, standing above me with an extended hand. I tried to lift my right arm to accept his help, but the now excruciating pain flared back up and I gasped. Instead, I gave Jasper my left hand and stood up.

"Couldn't wait on me could you?" he asked, but I was relieved to see the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. He looked at me with worry as I gripped my injured shoulder in pain.

"Afraid not," I said and glanced over at Bella. As Jasper took in her appearance, he nodded in solemn understanding.

"The other units are on their way along with an ambulance," he whispered. "I've got this covered. Go to her." He turned and began reading James Raymond Tabbler the Miranda Rights.

I turned toward where Bella knelt by Jacob and wanted to cry. Jacob lay on his side, his back to the rest of us, unmoving. Bella was holding him to her awkwardly, both of their bodies shaking with her sobs.

"Jacob, no!" she sputtered as a torrent of tears streamed down her face. She was breathing harshly and gasping for air. I was afraid she was hyperventilating and moved to pull her away. But her next words stopped me.

"Please don't leave me," she begged in a heartbreaking voice. "I can't… live… without you. You're my center… my sun. I need you… I love you." Before I could spend too much time contemplating her meaning, God finally smiled down upon us.

Jacob moaned and rolled to his side, blinking a few times. He looked confused as he peered into Bella's distraught face.

"Jacob!" she cried and hugged him fiercely to her. "I thought you were dead!"

"Don't worry Bells," he croaked out as she released him enough to talk. "The only thing that died tonight is my man card." He managed a slight laugh and Bella clumsily pulled him to her again.

"Arghh!" he yelled. It scared Bella and she immediately released him.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly, holding her hands awkwardly in the air so she wouldn't hurt him again. Jacob alternated between lying back on the ground and bending forward to hold his leg, which I then noticed was at an odd angle.

"My leg," he said with a sharp intake of breath. "I think it's broken. It must have happened when we fell over the car jack." I glanced behind where Bella was sitting next to Jacob and sure enough, there was a large metal car jack lying on its side. I grimaced thinking of how much damage it could do to a person.

"Oh, Jacob," Bella's whisper brought my attention back to them. Apparently, the pain was becoming too much to bear and Jacob's face was now covered in tears. He looked down at the ground as he silently cried. Bella gently wiped the tears from his face and, as he looked up into her eyes, he did the same to remove her tears.

I quickly looked away, feeling as if I was spying on a private moment. It was painfully apparent at that moment that Jacob and Bella had a special bond that very few people will ever know. Doubt ran through me as I wondered how Bella truly felt about Jacob, if she even knew how she really felt. To any innocent bystander, it would appear as if they were more than just best friends.

"BELLA!" Alice's voice broke through all other sounds. I turned to see my pixie-sized sister sprinting through the auto shop with Rosalie hot on her heels. Alice snatched a stunned Bella off the ground, wrapping her fiercely in tight hug. "Oh, Bella I was so worried and we got to your apartment and it was such a mess and I didn't know where you were and there wasn't anything I could do and it… was… horrible…" My sister broke down in tears then and choked on her cries. Bella leaned back, her face once again calm and composed. I couldn't believe my eyes. Bella was comforting Alice. God, I love this woman. But does she love me?

"Stop him!" Jasper's voice broke me from my thoughts. I tensed and turned, expecting to see James somehow advancing on us. Instead, I saw a raging Emmett running full speed to where James was still lying on the floor. I'd never seen a look like that on Emmett's face before and was fearful that he might actually snap James in two. But two police offers stepped in and restrained him quickly. As I looked around, I noticed there were quite a few men in blue around. The other units must have arrived while we were absorbed in our own little world.

"Emmett," Jasper said calmly as he stood in front of my best friend who was still struggling in between the two officers. "I can either have these men put you in the back of a squad car for the rest of the night, or you can go and check on Bella." Emmett gave James a long glare before finally releasing a tense breath and relaxing in defeat. Jasper nodded and the officers released him. Emmett walked to where I stood and I threw my good arm over his shoulder.

"That's too bad," I whispered to him. "I would have liked to have seen how much force it takes to rip a human body to shreds." Emmett looked at me questioningly. "It would have been good experience for med school." Emmett let out a loud guffaw at my explanation, just the reaction I had been expecting.

As we came upon where Alice was still holding Bella, Emmett wrapped his arms around both girls and picked them up in the air together. It reminded me of how a small child picks up a puppy or kitten awkwardly by the neck and innocently cuts off their air supply. While the three had their moment, I looked at Rosalie and lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Jasper called me," she explained. "I drove to Bella's apartment immediately, which is a good thing. Alice wouldn't have had a car to get here." I mouthed a silent thank you to Rosalie and she just nodded, pulling Bella into her own hug once Emmett finally put her down.

"Bella," Jasper interrupted a few moments later. We all looked up to see James standing, supported by an officer on each side, with his hands handcuffed behind his back. He could only stand on one leg. The other was nothing but blood stained and mangled flesh from the bullet that ripped through his knee. He looked pale white as if he might faint at any moment. Blood loss can do that to you.

"Bella?" James asked through gritted teeth, the pain in his leg obvious. "Who the hell is Bella?" The others ignored him, but I looked at him with surprise. I had heard him call her Phoenix before, but I guess it never really hit me that he honestly didn't know her real name. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. And it made me feel that much luckier to have Bella in my life. To have the opportunity to truly know her.

"I assume you'd like to press charges _this time_?" Jasper asked as we all turned to Bella. She stiffened but, unlike the night at the bar, held her head high and looked James directly in the eye.

"Yes, I would," she said calmly, never breaking his gaze. For once, James' confident façade broke and it looked as if he finally realized that she wanted nothing to do with him.

"I'll have one of the officers follow you and Jacob to the hospital," Jasper told her. "You can make a statement and complete the paperwork there." With that, he nodded to the officers holding James upright and they followed him outside.

"Wait a minute," Bella whispered barely audible. "Why do I have to go to the hospital?" She looked up to me with a worried face. I couldn't help but chuckle. Now that Emmett and Alice had both abandoned their bear hugs on Bella, I stepped in front of her and wrapped my arms around her securely. Well, my good arm anyway.

"Bella, love," I said and looked at her with a relieved smile. "You've been kidnapped, attacked and nearly killed, and you're worried about having to go to the doctor?" She stuck her bottom lip out and frowned at me. Damn, she was adorable when she pouted.

"But I _hate_ hospitals!" she whined, but finally broke into a half smile.

"But who's going to keep me company in the ambulance?" Jacob called up from where he was still lying on the floor.

"Sorry, Jake," Bella said and turned to look at him. "You know I'll ride with you." I was pleased that she didn't leave my arms. Instead she pressed her cheek against my chest and I rested my chin on top of her head. She sighed contentedly.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her, my voice low enough that the others couldn't hear.

"I'm just happy that everyone is here," she whispered. I leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she would see how confused I was. She did.

"With everyone here, now my birthday really is perfect," she explained and laid her head back on my chest to listen to my heart beat.

13


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow! Words cannot express the amount of hits the past few chapters have gotten. So many in fact, that I've changed my mind about the ending of this story. Originally, Chapter 14 was to be the final chapter. But since so many of you are so interested in a few of the newer developments, I've decided to go at least one more chapter in order to make sure everything is played out as it should be and fully resolved. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 14- Bella Point of View**

I smiled to myself as I finally forced my eyes open to see a dimly lit room, relishing the foreign emotion of contentment I was currently experiencing before I became confused once more. Looking around, I finally realized my confusion was due to the fact that I had not awoken where I expected. Although I was lying underneath my very warm comforter, I was not in my own bed. Instead, I was perched precariously on the very edge of my couch. Any sudden movements and I would have tumbled right onto the floor. My right leg was asleep and I had a horrible crick in my neck from lying at such an odd angle.

But I continued to smile and sighed happily. That was the best night's sleep I'd had all week. Suddenly, the warm arms that had been lifelessly looped around my waist tightened and I was pulled closer into Edward's chest. '_Oh_!'… well that explains it.

"Bella," Edward whispered from behind me. It sounded accusatory, but as I gently rolled onto my other side to face him, I could see he was trying to contain a smile. I couldn't help but lower my eyes and blush.

"Yes?" I asked innocently.

"Mind to enlighten me on how we ended up sleeping together on the couch?" he asked with a teasing tone. I had to suppress a laugh. Although he had stayed at my apartment every night since the awful events of a week ago, he had been very strict on the sleeping arrangements.

The first night… well, we didn't actually make it back from the hospital that night I was taken by James. After the ambulance transported Jacob and me to the hospital, we had been retained there until well into the next day. Turned out I needed a few stitches and had a mild concussion. If I had been allowed to go home and sleep, someone would have had to wake me up every hour or so. This would have made me extremely grumpy. As it turned out, I had a lot of questions to answer with the local police, so I didn't get to sleep anyway. Let's just say that grumpy doesn't even begin to cover how I was feeling then. But the little voice in the back of my head kept saying '_At least you're alive… it could have been so much worse_.'

Jacob on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. His tibia, the larger bone in the lower portion of the leg, was broken in several places. The doctors put a stint on it and made Jacob as comfortable as possible, which wasn't very comfortable at all. They couldn't give him any pain medication until the police were finished questioning us. So the doctor's reluctantly released us to the eagerly awaiting detectives. Jacob and I just wanted to get it over with, our attitudes clearly those of "the sooner this is done, the sooner we can go to sleep."

I wasn't looking forward to talking with the detectives, as that meant I'd have to explain everything that had happened. It seemed strange to relay this very personal story to complete strangers. But I was relieved to see Jasper enter the hospital room where Jacob and I were waiting. He didn't say anything and it seemed he had pulled a few strings just to be present in the room. It made me feel just a tiny bit more relieved. Just a tiny bit. Jasper followed two detectives that I didn't remember seeing at the auto shop. But then again, my mind had been a little preoccupied at that time.

At first, they spoke to Jacob and me together, which wasn't so bad. But after a while they separated us to gather our statements individually. Jasper seemed to sense how uneasy I was to talk about my ordeal for the first time with complete strangers. So he made sure to follow as one of the detectives took me to another room. It was a silent show of support that I greatly appreciated.

It took me a long time to get the whole story out. My mind was still a bit muddy. Some things I remembered were vague while others would come back to me with staggering clarity. I cried… a lot. And although I had spent the past several years being on my own, it still felt strange to have such an emotional confession as this with no one there to hold my hand or give ma comforting hug. It made me realize just how much I had changed these past few weeks with my new group of friends. Just how much they had brought to my life.

As I continued to tell my story, another part of me began sifting through my current feelings. It's strange the things you think of after a traumatic event. Like how I felt embarrassed. Though I knew what had happened was not my fault in any way, I couldn't help but feel as if maybe I could have prevented it somehow. Or maybe I deserved it. I felt like damaged goods now. How would people perceive me? I had always dealt with difficult issues, feeling like an outside, struggling to figure out who I was in this life beyond just the poor little orphaned girl. As I signed the last of the paperwork and caught my reflection in the hospital room's window, I sadly realized my outward appearance finally matched that of my deep rooted emotions. The bruising on my arms and face, the stitches along my hairline, the redness of my eyes. It all told a story of a girl who'd been through hell and back. I briefly wondered how Edward would react to me now… would he still want to pursue a relationship with me? But I wasn't allowed to ponder this as I was finally released.

It was 10:00am the following morning when Jasper finally escorted me out of that hospital room. The first thing I saw was Edward, sitting on the floor and slumped against the wall as if he'd been there the entire time. He looked tired and… well, tired. But a beautiful smile lit up his face as soon as he saw me and he immediately stepped forward to wrap me in a warm embrace. At that moment, it felt as if I had broken the surface to breathe glorious fresh air after being trapped under the weight of the ocean. My heart felt light and I actually managed a small smile. As I breathed in his scent, I realized I felt safer there inside his arms. It was a strange feeling considering that I knew I was out of harm's way by now. I was in no way in jeopardy while with Jasper and the detectives. But with Edward, everything was just better. Whether or not Edward still wanted me didn't seem to be such a huge worry after all.

Together, Edward and I made our way back to Jacob, who had been admitted into his own hospital room. After several hours of questioning, Jacob was practically begging for pain killers. A nurse finally made her way in and injected something into his IV fluid bag. She said it would help him rest. I stayed by his side the whole time, until he finally drifted off to sleep and experienced the first moment of relief since he broke his leg over 15 hours ago.

As I watched the medication flowing through his IV, drip by drip, I felt insurmountable guilt crushing down on me. Jacob was lying in this bed, weak and in pain, because of me. Why was he there? Why wasn't he in Portland at his training? Edward said he would explain what happened if I would go home and get some rest. But staying by Jacob's side was more important. I had made up my mind that I wouldn't go home until Jacob did. That had frustrated Edward, but luckily Alice seemed to understand. She graciously went shopping for me, buying a spare change of clothes and other essentials. My apartment was inaccessible for a few days since the police were still compiling evidence for the case against James.

On Monday, Jacob had surgery to repair the broken bone and insert a metal rod for added support. I teased him, calling him my 'Robo-Bouncer'. He teased me back, stating that now he'd never really be able to get rid of me. He'd always have a reminder of me inside him which was just as impenetrable as my hard head. While this only added to my overwhelming guilt, I put on a smile. I did everything I could to lighten the atmosphere in those rare moments that Jacob would be awake between doses of pain killers. I had more than enough time to silently reflect on things once he drifted back to sleep.

Despite my weary body and mind, I didn't sleep well those first few days staying in the hospital. Truth be told, I barely slept at all. That, combined with my nonexistent appetite, finally caught up with me on the second night after Jacob's surgery. It was Wednesday, a full five days after the incident. He finally woke for a substantial amount of time around 4:00pm. He seemed a little more lively and in good spirits as he chatted and joked with Edward and me. Edward even ran down to the cafeteria to grab Jacob a burger and fries, which he devoured. The last thing I remembered was resting my head on the hospital bed as I sat next to Jacob, holding his hand while we talked about old times. When I woke up, I was in the passenger's seat of Edward's Volvo as he parked in front of my apartment. I was about to be furious of him taking me out of the hospital and away from Jacob, until I saw the bandage peeking out from underneath the collar of his shirt.

"Edward, what happened?" I cried and moved over in my seat to inspect it. I was now completely awake and terribly confused. Edward had hardly left my side since the incident. Had something happened to him during one of the few times he went home to shower and change?

"It's nothing," he said, but winced when he tried to lift his arm to brush off my probing hands. I didn't say anything, but I gave him my best death glare hoping he understood the look. The 'tell-me-the-truth-now-or-you'll-be-miserable' look. I guess it was convincing because he sighed and laid his head back on the seat before speaking.

"It's just a strained shoulder muscle," he said with his eyes closed. I hated when he did this because I couldn't read his face. I wasn't concerned about the truth of it. Edward was always completely honest with me. But he had a tendency to edit things. Without his facial features to read, I couldn't exactly tell what he was leaving out for my benefit.

"It'll be fine within a week or so," he continued without lifting his head. I kept giving him the silent treatment and crossed my arms over my chest. After a moment, he opened one eye and looked over at me.

"What?" he asked innocently.

He knew damn well what! I just uttered one word.

"How?" I saw his eyes roll, which made me even angrier, but luckily for him he continued.

"At the auto shop," he said. "It must have happened when I broke through the door." I thought back to that night. I didn't exactly remember the point when Edward came in, just that when my vision finally cleared, James had a gun pointed at Edward's head. I couldn't stand by and watch the man I… loved be shot at point blank range. I know, strange time to realize you love someone, right? And that's when I saw the wrench.

I continued to think of that night's events. But there was not one memory of Edward appearing weakened. Not when he caught me when my legs gave out, not when he pushed me out of the way and covered my body with his. The despair I had been feeling over Jacob turned into full fledged fury at myself. I had been so absorbed in watching over Jacob, that I hadn't even noticed Edward was injured. How thoughtless could I be?!

Not only had Jacob been hurt, but so had Edward! The two people that I loved most in this world had risked their lives for me! I wasn't even sure if I had told Edward 'thank you.' How horrid could I be? How undeserving of their sacrifices. I decided then and there to make things right. Starting with what I should have done the first moment he held me in that filthy garage.

"Thank you," I whispered as I sank back into my own car seat. I kept my eyes straight ahead toward the dark night, though my eyes didn't actually see anything in front of me. Edward was quiet for a moment before leaning over and taking my chin in his hand. He turned my face to his and smiled warmly. He seemed to know just what I was thinking.

"I would do it over again a hundred times if it meant you were safe," he whispered back to me.

I couldn't help it, I choked at hearing these words from him. I had spent the past week convinced that there was no way someone like Edward would ever want to be with me. That he had recklessly risked his life for me when there was no way he could return the feelings I had for him. And yet, here he was proving me wrong once again. A constant stream of tears began and I couldn't stop them. Forgetting about his injured shoulder, I threw my arms around his neck and crushed myself to him.

"Thank… you," I finally managed to repeat between sobs. Edward chuckled but remained tense under my hold. He gave me a few moments to pull it together before finally gasping in pain.

"Bella… shoulder," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh!" I said and jumped back into my seat. "I'm so, so sorry Edward!" But amid the pain he still managed to chuckle.

It was then that I vowed to be a better girlfriend. Someone who might one day actually be deserving of Edward's love or Jacob's friendship. I'm also trying to take better care of myself, for both my guys. I'd never be able to truly thank them for all they did. But, I figured it was a good place to start.

We finally made our way out of the car and up the stairs of my complex. That was the first night I went back to sleeping in my own apartment. Edward had been encouraging it, but apparently Jacob had flat out insisted after I fell asleep on him at the hospital. He told me later that I looked like hell. '_Gee, thanks_.' But then again, I couldn't really argue with him.

Walking back into my apartment for the first time since the incident had been tough. I was no longer able to hide from the emotions and fears I'd been successfully avoiding while at the hospital. As ashamed as I was to admit it, I had been using Jacob as my crutch, a way of not dealing with my own pain.

Standing outside my door while Edward unlocked it for me, I smirked as I thought back to the very first time I convinced him to stay the night with me, when I had fibbed a little by saying I was scared to be by myself after James cornered me in the bar. Now I no longer needed to lie. I was half scared to death as I followed Edward across the threshold into the dark living room. But I was beyond terrified when he flipped the light switch, highlighting a room full of reminders to that awful night. I couldn't help the memories that came flooding back.

The couch that James had backed me into, the kitchen table where I had run for my purse and cell phone, the empty shelf where my candlestick and favorite framed picture should have been. It seemed that everywhere I turned triggered a flash of memory that I watched in my mind's eye with too much clarity. Alice was thrilled when I called her first thing Thursday morning to ask if she'd help me remodel the place.

As if my conscious memories weren't bad enough, my subconscious ones had to have a say in the matter as well. In that first night back in my own bed, I woke up three different times screaming and thrashing to get away from the dark intruder of my nightmares. Each time Edward rushed from his place on the couch to hold me comfortingly until I fell back asleep. Almost subconsciously though, my body would recognize the instant he was gone, the moment it no longer felt safe. And then the nightmares would return full force.

The next day I made up my mind that I was going to cheat. Well, it's not exactly cheating if Edward never said I _couldn't_ do it… It had been a long day at the hospital with Jacob. The doctors made their rounds with post surgery check-ups and he met his physical therapist for the first time. It finally hit Jacob that he was going to have to relearn to use his leg. It was hard on him at first, but eventually he put on a brave face. I knew he did it just for me, which made me feel worse.

By the time we went back to the apartment last night, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I could tell Edward was too, the past week of having such little sleep finally catching up with both of us. I felt horrid as I took in the dark circles under his eyes, no doubt a side effect of staying with me day after day, night after night. We wasted no time in getting ready for bed. I sat in my pajamas on top of my comforter, waiting for Edward to emerge from the bathroom.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked quietly as the door finally opened. It was horribly embarrassing to ask. I could feel a bright crimson blush burning my cheeks. But I knew the alternative was much worse. Somehow Edward seemed to keep the horrible nightmares at bay. My intentions were purely innocent, but Edward stuck to his strong morals.

"Bella," he said as he wrapped me in a tight embrace. "I'll be just a few feet away, and I promise I'll come in if you need me." After the second nightmare, I got up and drank a soda can full of caffeine and made Edward talk to me on the couch until his eyes closed of their own accord sometime around dawn. He was so exhausted he never flinched when I climbed in next to him and adjusted the blanket to cover both of us. Needless to say, there were no more bad dreams last night.

So now here I was, encircled safely in the loving arms of the perfect man, trying to think of an excuse for why I was here instead of alone in my bed. I sighed as I realized there really was nowhere I'd rather be, despite whatever consequences may come. When in doubt, tell the truth.

"I'm sorry Edward," I whispered, and for once looked him in the eye. "But I just can't be without you." All teasing vanished and his face softened, leaving a slight spark in his eyes. It took me a moment to realize he was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered before crushing his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. His arms pulled me impossibly closer. Although I stilled my body as much as possible to avoid hurting him, I returned the kiss with everything I had. The way he could make me feel was amazing. I never wanted it to end.

We finally broke apart, gasping for air. '_Stupid human needs_,' I thought. Edward rested his forehead against mine and breathed deeply.

"Good morning," I whispered with a smile on my face.

"Good morning, birthday girl," he whispered back, his crooked grin breaking the corner of his perfectly pouty lips. My smile was replaced with a look of confusion as his words sank in.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "My birthday is done and over, thank goodness."

"Oh, you're right," Edward said mischievously. "The _day_ is over, but we never actually got to celebrate the occasion. So I have dubbed today 'Bella's Birthday Part Deux.' With a little help from Alice, of course."

"Oh no!" I told him sternly. "My birthday is over, all I want to do is forget that day." I lowered my eyes from his gaze and pressed my face against his chest. For some reason, Edward's scent always seemed to calm me. And right now I really needed that.

"I want to forget that day too," Edward said softly and kissed the top of my head. "Which is exactly why we need to celebrate the good things… like your birthday." I took a deep breath, smelling the scent that was uniquely Edward. Cotton, fresh air, a bit of musk and Calvin Klein cologne. It was my favorite smell in the world, just like green was now my favorite color. Once again, I felt calm and things fell into perspective. Edward was only trying to help. I remembered my vow to be more deserving of Edward and his love.

"You're right," I sighed, still not looking at him. "What do I have to do?" Edward just laughed and I relished the feeling of his chest rumbling against my forehead.

"It's not a death sentence, Bella," he said lightly. "Well maybe it is…" My curiosity got the better of me and I looked up into Edward's face. He lifted an eyebrow dramatically. "You do have to be my prisoner all day." My pouting was immediately gone as I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"If this is torture, chain me to the wall!" I quoted one of my favorite Disney movies, Oliver and Company. I laughed at my own joke, but Edward just looked at me curiously. I don't think he really got the reference. Oh well.

After a bit more whining on my part, Edward finally convinced me to get up and dressed for the day. Apparently, pajama pants and a tank top were not suitable for where we were headed, wherever that was since Edward was being so secretive about it. All he kept saying was, "You'll see soon enough." Did this man not know by now that I did not like surprises?

As on our first date, we jumped into Edward's Volvo and headed out of town. I noticed we were driving in the opposite direction from the farm. This time we drove towards the coast. The morning rain had cleared up, though it was still cloudy, leaving a light dew on all the foliage. It made the greenery sparkle in the few moments the sun would peek through the clouds. A lot of people couldn't live with the constant rain of the Pacific coast, including me when I first moved here years ago. But after a while, I grew to love it. The wet climate and constant cloud cover, the sparkling dew drops and mysterious fog and mist. They all added to the beauty of the landscape. This is how it was meant to be.

Edward pulling onto a small dirt road interrupted my wandering mind. We passed a sign too quickly for me to read, but it looked like one of the state park signs. Sure enough, a few minutes later we pulled into a parking area for Bridle Trails State Park. The lot was filled with various cars, including some trucks and horse trailers.

"Edward," I started cautiously. "What are we doing here?" There were two obvious answers to this: hiking and horseback riding. Neither was a good option for me and my two left feet.

"You'll see soon enough," Edward answered for the umpteenth time today. "Wait here."

I watched him curiously over my shoulder as he closed the car door behind him and opened the trunk, though I couldn't see exactly what he was retrieving. He then walked to my side of the car and opened the door for me.

"Shall we?" he asked gallantly.

"Um… sure," I replied, still hesitant as to what we were actually doing. Edward said nothing more, just took me by the hand once I was out of the car and led me toward a hiking trail. In his other hand, he carried a picnic basket. And tucked under the same arm was a comfy looking quilt.

"Edward, you know hiking can be hazardous to your health right?" I asked and he laughed out loud. "Well, more specifically, to _my_ health." He still didn't say anything, but the glorious smile on his face told me he was getting quite the kick out of this. I stumbled along the path by his side for a little further before I broke.

"Edward, please tell me what we're doing! Where we're going! Anything!" I stopped at the end of my rant and tugged his hand so he'd do the same. But Edward just kept smiling.

"Bella, this is something that I can't tell you," he explained quietly. "It's just something you have to see for yourself. You trust me, right?"

"Of course," I answered without thinking. I said it so quickly I surprised even myself. But when I thought of the reasons that I shouldn't answer that way… well, there weren't any. Edward had already risked his life for me, what more was there for him to prove. Involuntarily, I shuddered at the thought of losing Edward, now that I'd just found him.

"Are you cold?" he asked as he started to walk again. I just shook my head and gave him a reassuring smile. We fell into a comfortable silence then, walking along the gravel path that was beginning to wind and thin. After some time, the path surreptitiously ended, and I found myself being pulled by Edward into the dense forest. I followed him blindly through the foliage, dodging trees and low hanging limbs. My unease grew the further we walked, not knowing if we would be able to find our way back. '_Maybe I should have asked Edward if he had ever been a boy scout during our session of twenty questions_,' I thought.

I was about to ask if Edward had a GPS unit on him when he came to a sudden stop in front of me. He turned to face me, his grin now stretched Cheshire sized.

"Close your eyes," he told me.

"What… why?" I pouted and even poked my bottom lip out. Edward's face fell for a moment as he stared at my lips. But he quickly shook his head and looked up to meet my confused eyes.

"You honestly don't know the effect you have on me, do you?" he asked. But he didn't give me the chance to answer. "Just close your eyes. Please." I couldn't refuse the puppy dog eyes he gave me, so I closed my eyes with an over exaggerated exhale of air. Edward moved to stand behind me, so close I could feel electrical tingles all along my backside. He grasped my shoulders with just his fingertips and began to guide me slowly forward.

"It will be worth it, I promise," he whispered into my ear and my knees almost gave out. His voice was so seductive, his warm breath sending chills down to my core. When he spoke like that, I'd go anywhere, do anything for him. A few short steps later, Edward applied the slightest of pressure through his fingers to halt my progress. Then I felt his hands leave my shoulders.

"Open your eyes," his voice called from behind me. I did, and immediately wondered if my knees really did buckle a few moments ago. Surely, I must have bumped my head on the way down because what I saw could have only been envisioned in a dream. I glanced behind me to ensure Edward was still there, which he was. No, this was no dream. With Edward here, it was a fantasy.

Before me was a small clearing, completely devoid of the numerous trees and thick brush the forest around it contained. Instead, a soft blanketing of wildflowers and reeds filled the space, moving with the light wind as if with a life of their own. It was amazing that such an abundance of life and color could survive without constant care in the chilly fall weather, although I could barely make out the empty spaces that would eventually be filled by spring and summer blossoms.

I didn't know what to do or what to say. All I could do was stand there like a complete buffoon, my mouth gaping wide open. I looked around the circular clearing again and again, until Edward cleared his throat behind me to remind me of his presence. Like I could have forgotten. I stayed in place, only pivoting in my spot to face him. I stared at him for a few seconds before I finally found my voice.

"Edward, this is beautiful," I whispered. I wasn't sure why, but it seemed more respectful of this perfect piece of Mother Earth to whisper.

"Yes, it is," he whispered back, but he was looking so deeply into my eyes that I had the strange feeling he wasn't talking about the meadow behind me. He slowly set the blanket and picnic basket on the ground and, with two tentative steps, closed the distance between us. Our bodies were so close, yet still not touching, but he gently took my face in his hands. It was as if Edward was being careful with me, afraid that I might break under the slightest of pressure. I wanted desperately to tangle my fingers in his think hair and pull him tightly to me. To press my body against his and gain every bit of his warmth. But I was so enraptured by this surreal moment I was afraid to move, for surely it would burst like a tiny bubble.

"Bella," Edward whispered against my lips after he leaned forward. "I wanted to find a way to tell you how beautiful I think you are… and… that I care for you…" My heart stopped and my breath hitched as I stared into his emerald green eyes. The hands that cupped my cheeks were trembling and I could tell Edward was fighting to find the right words.

"But I knew that no matter what I said… no words in the human language… would ever convey how I truly feel," he continued and lightly grazed my nose with his. "So I brought you here… to my favorite place on Earth… the most beautiful place I've ever seen…" He closed his eyes briefly and took a shaky breath. For the first time I realized that Edward was anxious. He was still awaiting my reaction. He had put his heart on the line bringing me somewhere he'd never shared with anyone else to tell me something important. But he still wasn't sure how I would react to this place or his words.

"I didn't think it was possible, but… now, with you here… it's absolutely perfect." With that he opened his eyes. "I love you."

I immediately let out the ragged breath I forgot I'd been holding. I was so choked with emotion over this amazing man, this wondrous moment. I managed to whisper a heart felt "I love you too," before the tears brimmed over and I could contain myself no longer. I fulfilled my earlier desire by lifting my arms upward, gliding my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him to me. His momentary look of apprehension as he awaited my response was replaced by a flicker of surprise before he settled into a final look of contentment when I kissed him. I put everything I was feeling into that kiss. I was afraid if I didn't give all of these emotions an outlet that I would burst from the inside at any moment. It was not just love and passion, but gratefulness, trust, longing, and so much more.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but it felt like for every bit I gave, Edward gave it right back. For once my world was in perfect balance because, even though I was chipping away little pieces of myself to leave with Edward, he was trusting me with little pieces of him too. And those bits and pieces filled my gaps and made me complete.

It was ironic that I would experience the best days of my life so soon after what many would consider one of my worst. But I knew, that the physical pain James could have caused that day was nothing compared to the emotional loss of a loved one. I had already felt that type of pain, losing first Renee and Phil, and then Charlie. It was a ache so deep you had to literally wrap your arms around your chest to hold it all together, fearful that any moment your broken heart would finally combust. I thought I would surely die of heartache, until the blessed day came that my entire being went numb. It was as if I had lost my purpose in life, walking around like a zombie, null of any emotion or feeling or life. To this day I can't tell you which was worse: the heart-wrenching pain or sheer lifelessness. The pain and fear I experienced lying on that dirty garage floor at the hands of a deranged kidnapper was absolutely nothing compared to what I had already been through, not once but twice.

Yet, now here I stood, my heart once again about to burst. But this time it wasn't pain or loss. This time it was joy and happiness. Hope and wonderment. Euphoria and contentment. And it was all because of love. No… it was because of _his_ love. It was not my arms, but ours, mine and his, that held us both together. We clung to each other as we kissed, two single beings that had been alone for so long. But no more. That kiss was our declaration to devote our lives to something different, something more. Together.

17


	15. Chapter 15

**Alice's Dress: ****.?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12301040**

**Bella's Dress: ****.?ID=386133&CategoryID=22120**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 15- Bella Point of View**

My head was throbbing despite the two aspirin I'd taken some time ago. Who knew a tiny pixie almost half my size could inflict so much pain. I wondered if she'd ever worked at the military prison at Guantanamo, her torturing skills were so expert.

"Oh grow up, Bella," she muttered in response to my incessant grumbling and swirled another strand of hair around the curling iron. "You are being pampered, not burned at the stake." _Right_.

Alice had been working on my hair for almost two hours. After Edward and I had our 'picnic,' we returned here for 'Bella's Birthday Part Deux' as he had dubbed it. I had been forced to wear a blindfold before entering the house, then plucked rather rudely from Edward's comforting hold and rushed upstairs to begin my torture… er, uh, pampering session. I don't know why I was surprised to learn that Alice was still planning on throwing a party for me. I should have known it was not in her nature to let an event such as this go.

Once I was upstairs, Alice had started by washing my locks meticulously in the sink before blow drying it silky smooth. Then she rolled it in giant Velcro curlers and had me sit under one of those portable heaters that hairdressers use. After my head was nice and toasty (I swear it smelled like burning marshmallows) she pulled each roller out and made me stick my head between my knees. While Alice tousled my hair with one hand, she sprayed an unnecessary amount of hair spray throughout the strands. (Was that the ozone getting another hole?)

After I was allowed to sit up straight, looking beet red from the all of the blood that had rushed to my head, Alice called Rosalie up to start applying makeup. Now here I sat at the mercy of both girls in Alice's giant bathroom on the second floor of the Cullen's house, all three of us wrapped in plush bathrobes.

"Be careful complaining to Alice about makeovers," Rosalie warned as she applied some blush, not that I ever needed any. "The last girl that complained ended up drained of her blood."

"And we buried her in the backyard," Alice added, anything but sinister with a smile on her face.

"Really?!" I cried in mock horror.

"How do you think Esme fertilizes her plants?" Alice asked, to which all three of us burst into a fit of giggles. The distraction helped me relax some, or maybe that was the aspirin kicking in. But either way, I was feeling happier and lighter than I had in… well, to be honest, since even before the incident with James. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, like I was meant to be here with these people.

"Hair's done," Alice said as she gave it one last spritz of hairspray. "I'm gonna go change into my dress." Rosalie nodded and Alice skipped out of the bathroom. Since both girls had already done their hair and makeup before I arrived, all they had to do was put on their party dresses before heading downstairs.

"So, I've been instructed by Alice not to ask you how you're dealing with things," Rosalie whispered in my ear. I now knew about Alice's need for control in event planning, so I understood the reason for discretion. "She doesn't want me ruining the happy celebration with bad vibes."

"I heard that!" Alice yelled from the bedroom, causing Rosalie and I to giggle.

"_But_," Rosalie said loudly so that Alice was sure to hear. "That doesn't mean we can't have a little time for 'girl talk.'" With that, Alice shrieked and burst through the bathroom's double doors. She was barefoot and using one hand to hold her strapless dress up just enough to cover her chest. In the other hand, she held her matching shoes. She shrugged when she noticed Rosalie and I had both frozen to stare at her.

"I love 'girl talk'?" she said, though it came out as a question. That broke the silence as we all started laughing again.

"Zip me up before I embarrass myself further," Alice said and turned so Rosalie could zip the back of her party dress. Once she was safely within the confines of her strapless cocktail dress, she deftly slid on the shoes before turning to us once more. "So… girl talk!" she prompted with a wave of her hands, indicating that we should continue.

"Alice, I love your dress," I gushed, partly because I really did love it. The upper bodice was a warm beige, covered by delicate black lace. A matching beige sash made her small waist look impossibly tinier. The black skirt was scrunched in random places to create a billowing effect down to where it ended just above her knee. She'd made herself about six inches taller with the simple black sandals that consisted of a strap across her toes, a strap around her ankles, and dangerously high heels. Although it was a bit tame for what I expected of Alice, it was still beautiful and perfectly suited for her. Beyond this, my compliment was also a poor attempt at changing the subject. And Alice knew it.

She didn't have to say anything. Instead, she just crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot like an impatient pixie, all the while with a smirk on her face. Uh-oh.

"How have things with Edward been going?" Alice finally continued when it was clear that I wasn't going to say anything. Rosalie froze as she was reaching for a tube of foundation and looked to me for my response.

"Um, fine?" I asked. I wasn't entirely sure what she expected me to say. Alice coked her head to the side, lifting her eyebrows in an "I-need-more-info-than-that" kind of way.

"He's been great," I whispered, though it was so quiet in the bathroom at that moment I was sure everyone in the house could hear me. I felt the familiar burn in my cheeks as I continued. "I don't know how I would have made it through the past week without him. I mean, not only did he literally save me, but he's been there to support me through everything after, too. He's like my rock."

"So are you guys going to try and make this into a real relationship?" Rosalie questioned. "You know, see if there's anything there?"

I paused for a moment. Of course, the answer was yes. Truth be told, we'd already gone far beyond that point. We'd just admitted that we loved each other and there was no turning back. But it seemed like such an intimate thing that only happened this afternoon. Selfishly, I wanted to keep it between just Edward and me for a little while longer. So I decided to wait to tell my new friends. Maybe tomorrow.

"I guess so," I said and once again looked down. "I mean, _I'd _like to." I focused on my feelings because it was the only thing I could comment on with absolute certainty. Plus, it might keep these intuitive gossipers at bay about the real status of our relationship a little longer.

"YEAH!" Alice's screech made me jump in my seat as I looked up at her dancing around in circles. She caught my confused look and slowed down for a moment.

"Don't worry Bella," she said. "Edward loves you, too." Wait… what? Had Edward told her how he felt? And what did she mean by "too"? Was it that obvious how I was head over heels for the guy?

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I just do," she said and tapped her temple with a tiny finger. I wasn't sure what to say to that without revealing anything else about Edward and me, so I just stayed silent. As I turned back to face the mirror, I caught Rosalie staring at me with a strange expression. It was almost a knowing look. I felt uneasy, like she could see right through my act. But she soon just smiled at me and went back to applying my makeup.

"Knock, knock," I heard a voice call from the bedroom. It sounded like Carlisle. Alice once again shrieked with delight and turned to me.

"Bella, your first present of the night is here!" she explained happily and then threw the bathroom doors wide open. A few seconds later, Carlisle walked into the bathroom… pushing Jacob in a wheelchair.

"Jake! What are you doing here?" I asked at the same time I launched myself from my chair. I was being as careful as I could around his injured leg which was propped up on the wheelchair's brace. But it was so good to see him outside of the hospital, I just couldn't help from giving him the biggest hug I could.

"Carlisle here sprung me from my prison cell," Jacob laughed, though it was somewhat muffled by my shoulder. I stood upright to look at Carlisle, who just rolled his eyes.

"It's not a prison Jacob," Carlisle explained, firm yet friendly, like only a father could do. "And I didn't _spring_ you. It's just for the night."

"Yeah, well either way, I don't care," Jacob said. "Let's just get this party started!" Jacob looked better than I seen him since he'd been in the hospital. His color was returning and he was smiling genuinely, not forced. He had life in him again. I couldn't be sure, but he seemed so different than when I visited him just yesterday. But he was happy, and therefore, I was happy.

"Thank you Carlisle," I said softly and hoped it sounded as heartfelt as I meant it.

"Well, don't thank me, Bella," he said. "It was Edward's idea. I just pulled some strings at the hospital." With that, Carlisle grasped my hand in his and squeezed. "Happy birthday."

My heart swelled. This had been Edward's doing. Sure, Carlisle and Alice had helped. But it was Edward that understood just how much it would mean to me for Jacob to be here. It was strange to have someone put my feelings and needs first. I'd have to think of a way to properly thank him later.

Carlisle and Alice left then, to help Esme downstairs with the final party preparations. Jacob and I chatted about random topics while Rosalie finished my makeup. She then helped me into my dress in the bedroom, while Jacob stayed in the bathroom to give us some privacy. Once Rosalie was satisfied with the fitting of the dress, she left to put on her own dress and join the others downstairs. I pushed Jacob's chair into the bedroom so he and I could talk while I finished getting ready.

"Been catching up on your sleep?" he asked while I sat on the bed to slide on my heels. They weren't my first choice, but they were the only option Alice left me for footwear. I was about to brush off Jacob's question like I normally do. But when I looked in his face and saw the obvious concern, I couldn't lie.

"Not completely," I confessed. "But it's getting better."

"Good," he said, seeming satisfied with my answer. "Has Edward been staying with you?" Somehow this conversation had gone from effortless and comfortable to confusing and awkward in 0.6 seconds. I certainly hadn't been hiding my relationship with Edward from Jacob. But, even though they had seemed to form some type of unspoken bond since the incident, I still didn't want to flaunt my newfound love in Jacob's face. I wasn't sure what part of Jacob still wanted to make something more of our friendship. I wanted to avoid hurting him if at all possible, especially in light of our recent experience.

"Um, yeah," I answered, but explained quickly, "He's been sleeping on the couch. Listen, Jake, about Edward and I…" But Jacob didn't let me finish.

"Bella, you don't have to explain anything to me," he said. He wheeled himself closer to where I sat on the bed and offered me his hand. I took it between both of my palms and kneeled on the floor to be closer to him. I wanted him to know he had my undivided attention.

"Edward's a good guy," he explained. "And it's obvious that he makes you happy and you have feelings for him."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I asked with a laugh. He just smiled back at me.

"Oh, please," he said with a roll of his eyes. "You're face is like an open book. You can't hide anything." I playfully slapped his arm as he chuckled. But as the laughter died down he became serious once more.

"Bella, of anyone I know, you deserve the most to be happy," he said. At that, my face fell. I wanted to be happy too, but not at the cost of hurting my best friend. I lowered my eyes and once again placed both of my hands around his.

"But what about you, Jake?" I asked in a whisper. "You deserve to be happy too."

"I am happy," he said, but then corrected himself when I looked at him doubtfully. "I mean, obviously I will be happier when I'm up and out of this wheelchair and things are back to normal."

"I know," I answered. "But one day, you're going to meet someone and its going to be like the Earth stops spinning. You'll be pulled to her, and she to you, and there won't be anything or anyone that can stop it. And she'll make you happy, really truly happy." Jacob looked down then, and I was afraid I had upset him with the realization that I would not be that girl. But he looked back up at me with an almost sheepish grin on his face.

"Bella, there's something I've been wanting to tell you," he said and quickly looked back down. I didn't know why he was having trouble meeting my eyes. We could tell each other anything. "I think I've already found that girl."

My heart rate increased as my fears were confirmed. Jacob did have feelings for me. I knew I shouldn't have brought this up. Not now. Not tonight. I looked down at our clasped hands and shook my head.

"Jake, I…" I began. But once again, Jacob interrupted me.

"We've been dating for a few weeks," he said so quietly I wasn't sure I understood him. "Just a little longer than you and Edward." Wait… _what_? I finally looked up at him to see his smile, the spark in his eyes. I realized that they weren't there because he was feeling better or because he was out of the hospital for the night. No, there was another cause for his happiness.

"Her name is Renesmee. I call her Nessie for short." With each sentence his smile grew bigger and my tension eased a bit more. "She hated it at first, but I think its growing on her now."

"Wait a minute," I stopped him as a thought occurred to me. "I've barely left you at the hospital. Why haven't I seen this girl?" Surely if she returned any kind of feelings for Jacob, she would have been by his side instantly. Jacob's smile fell once more and he looked nervous. That's the second time I'd been the cause of his anxiety tonight.

"I sort of didn't tell her," he admitted. "I didn't want her to worry. All she knew was that I was out of town for training."

"But you were only supposed to be gone the weekend. Didn't she get worried when you didn't come home or call?" Apparently these thoughts had never crossed Jacob's mind. But in his defense, he had been on some mighty strong drugs at the time.

"Yeah, she did," he said and seemed upset with himself. "I forgot to tell my dad to play it off and she went to his house asking about me. He assumed she knew and just dropped it into casual conversation as if it was old news. And to him it was."

"But she was hearing for the first time that you could have died," I said. It was a statement, not a question, as I thought back to the terror I felt when I first looked upon Jacob's crumpled body lying on the floor of the garage. It was as if my world came to a screeching halt when I thought he had been taken from me forever. I sympathized with this girl I'd never met. Jacob just nodded.

"She came to see me this morning, right after she talked to my dad," he continued. "Once she was sure that I was going to be ok, she let me have it." I cringed to think of the scene they probably made in the hospital. I mean, I know exactly how I would have reacted in the same situation, and it wouldn't have been pretty.

"She didn't break up with you, did she?" I asked, fearful that I might upset Jacob once more.

"Nah," he said with the hint of a smile returning to his face. "That's the best part of adult relationships… the makeup sex after you fight."

"Jake!" I practically yelled. "This is something I don't need to hear about." So maybe we could tell each other _almost_ anything. I didn't need to hear anything about Jacob's sex life, even it was with his dream girl. And I certainly wasn't about to share anything about Edward and me… not that there was anything to tell.

"Sorry, Bells," he said after his laughter had subsided. It was the first time he had called me Bells since I spoke to him over the phone on my birthday. It was the final piece of evidence to convince me that he was truly happy. We were both finally headed in the right direction. It seemed right for us to still be close, while completing our lives with new love. Suddenly, I had the urge to meet the woman who could make Jacob so happy.

"Call her," I said to him excitedly.

"What? Now?" Jacob asked, confused by my request.

"Call her and ask her to come to the party," I explained. "I'd really like to meet her. Plus, you could tell her it's like a peace offering for not telling her about everything sooner. You can blame me, get yourself off the hook." I joked about things hoping it would help Jacob feel more comfortable introducing his new girlfriend.

"But if she doesn't blame me," he said, "then what happens to the freaky makeup sex?"

"Ah, Jake!" I cried and covered my ears childishly.

"Fine, fine," he conceded. "I'll call her and ask her over."

"Yeah! I'm so happy for you Jake," I said sincerely, cupping my palm around the side of his face and returning my other hand to his strong grasp. "I love you. I always will."

"I love you too, Bella," he said. "Always have, always will." A creak at the door interrupted the otherwise perfect silence and we both whipped our heads around to see Edward standing in the doorway, his fist frozen in the air just prior to knocking and eyes wide.

**Chapter 15 Cont'd- Edward Point Of View**

I had been without Bella for almost three hours and I was about to go bat crazy. Sure she was just upstairs, no more than 40 feet away. She was safe… well, as safe as you can be with Alice and Rosalie. But the close proximity only fed my anxiety more. I was about to take the stairs two at a time and force my way into the bathroom they had her locked up in, when I heard Carlisle's car pull up outside. I smiled to myself, thinking that Bella's first present had arrived.

I went outside quickly to help Jacob from the car and into the house. Our porch wasn't exactly wheelchair friendly. Neither were the stairs to the second floor, for that matter. But Carlisle had agreed to let Jacob use a pair of crutches as long as he allowed me to help him get around and put absolutely no weight on his injured leg whatsoever. Normally someone like Jacob would never be allowed to leave the hospital so soon after surgery. But Carlisle was good friends with Jacob's surgeon and promised he would be under a doctor's watchful eye the entire night.

Over the past week, I'd visited Jacob in his hospital room every day. And though he knew I was there because of Bella, we had still managed to form some kind of strange comradeship. We hadn't actually spoken about the events of that night, but we had both fought on the same side. On Bella's side. And that seemed to make me ok in Jacob's eyes.

That night in the garage, I had been fearful of losing Bella. It had only been the second time I'd seen her interact with Jacob. But the love they had for each other, especially in such a traumatic situation, had been overwhelming. The worst part was that I didn't even think Bella realized how apparent her love for him was. How could I ever compete with the history they had?

As I spent the next few days observing them in the hospital, my view began to change. Bella sat diligently by Jacob's bedside hour after hour, refusing to leave even when he was in a deep, drug-induced sleep. It was not the action of a loving girlfriend, but the kind of loyalty and devotion that can only be found from your own flesh and blood. The way she would pull herself together and smile, just so that he would be happy, was the type of sacrifice that only a mother or sister could bear. It was becoming more and more clear that Bella loved Jacob as family, as a brother. And for that my heart was grateful.

So when Alice insisted that we still have Bella's birthday party, I immediately remembered her words as I held her that night in the garage.

'_With everyone here, now my birthday really is perfect_,' she had whispered against my chest as she pressed her cheek over my heart. I knew she wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the evening without Jacob. So I ran my plans by Carlisle, and Alice of course, who both agreed to help make it happen.

Jacob and I didn't speak much on the way inside the house or up the stairs, there was no need to. Instead I chuckled to myself when we reached the second floor landing. As Carlisle helped situate Jacob back into his wheelchair, I couldn't help but think how ironic this was. Who would have thought my birthday gift to the woman I loved would be another man?

Carlisle walked ahead of us, using a cheerful 'Knock, Knock' to alert the girls of our presence. Alice bounded out of the bathroom first, but stopped to give me a deathly glare. She had warned me earlier that I was not allowed to see Bella until she made her grand entrance down the stairs, and apparently wasn't going to let me infringe on this rule. She silently pointed her finger to the door while keeping her glare fixed on me, a not so subtle way to tell me I should leave. Carlisle just smirked and took my place behind Jacob's wheelchair as I stepped backward. But as they turned to head into the bathroom, I looked back one more time, catching a glimpse of Bella in the mirror as they opened wide the double doors. My heart lifted to see her there, sitting so comfortably among my… _our_ family and friends. I knew I had done the right thing when her smile widened as she saw Jacob pushed in. She jumped out of her seat, I guess to greet him, and I could no longer see her reflection. So I made my way back downstairs.

One at a time the others floated down to the living room, until Rosalie finally joined us. She thought it would be a good idea to give Bella and Jacob a few minutes to catch up outside of the hospital. I looked around in quiet satisfaction at my… our family and friends. Everyone was here: Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. I hadn't realized until now, but with Bella in my life, I was no longer the third wheel. Or seventh wheel depending on how you look at it. _Whatever_. I'd have to look into setting Jacob up with someone because I was sure Bella would worry about him. Maybe Emmett could set him up with a hot cheerleader from the college.

After a while Alice became impatient for the party to begin and started for the stairs to get Bella and Jacob. I stepped in front of her and offered to go in her place. While she tried to refuse me, insisting that I stay at the bottom of the staircase to get the full effect of Bella's grand entrance, I argued my own case. There was no way that Alice, even with Bella's help, would be able to assist Jacob back down the stairs. She paused a moment, seeing that I had a point, and I sprinted up the stairs before she could say anything else.

The door to the room wasn't closed all the way. I could hear them talking in whispered tones as I approached. As I stepped to the door and lifted my hand to knock, I froze at the sight before me. Apparently, I'd arrived just in time to hear Bella profess her never ending love to Jacob while she cradled his face lovingly in her hand. Jacob returned the sentiment, stating that he had always loved her and always would. They both looked so happy, sporting smiles big enough to crack their cheeks. Several emotions raged within me, fighting for dominance. Jealousy, anger, hurt, embarrassment. But over all of that, I could feel a little bit of my heart break. _How could I have been such a fool?_

I leaned backward, intending to make my escape without being noticed. Instead I pressed my weight onto an old floorboard that creaked loudly. Both Bella and Jacob turned to find me standing there awkwardly, my hand still frozen mid-air. I was confused to see that neither of them faltered, their smiles remained just as big. Bella's smile even managed to sparkle a bit more as she looked at me and rose to stand beside Jacob's wheelchair.

Another piece of my heart broke off as I took in the sight of her. She was wearing a beautiful cobalt blue cocktail dress that only covered one shoulder. Tiny fabric flowers lined the top edge of the dress along the bust and shoulder strap, their matching blue color setting off her creamy complexion. The dress was shorter and more form fitting than anything I'd seen her in so far. That combined with the designer heels elongated her gorgeous legs. I could have traced their lines with my eyes for hours.

"Edward!" she said happily, but still held one of Jacob's hands in her own. She motioned for me to come in and after a moment I finally lowered my arm and stepped into the room.

"Hey Ed," said Jacob from his chair. "Thanks again for arranging all of this. I really needed a night away from the hospital and this is the perfect occasion to get out for." I just stared at him and he seemed to notice something was wrong with me. My eyes darted to his and Bella's intertwined fingers. He must have understood because he immediately released Bella's hand and gently nudged her towards me. _He must be encouraging her to tell me and get this over with._

"Yes, thank you so much Edward," Bella said, her beautiful smile still in place. She walked toward me a little more slowly than usual, probably because of the tall heels my sister had forced her into. She paused just in front of me, close enough that I could practically feel the heat of her body. She looked up into my face for a moment and her smile finally diminished as she noticed the emotions on my face and a look of worry crossed her own. But after that brief hesitation, she proceeded to step even closer and wrap her slender arms around my waist to give me a tentative hug. _She's always so considerate. Even now she doesn't want to hurt me._

"You're welcome," I managed to say although I didn't move my arms to hug her back. I was too busy experiencing the sense of loss that came when another piece of my heart broke off. She leaned back to look at me and I managed a small smile. They were trying very hard to be cordial about this. Out of respect for Bella, I would do the same. It was her birthday celebration after all.

"Alice sent me to get you two," I said, careful to keep the tone of my voice neutral. "It's time for the party to officially begin."

"Let's give Jacob a moment alone first," Bella said and took my hand in hers. "He has to make a phone call first." He just smirked as she led me from the room, but looked like he was pulling something out of his pocket when Bella closed the door behind us. It seemed like a very odd time to make a phone call. Out in the hallway, I looked up to see Bella standing in front of me with a worried look on her face, still holding my hand.

"Is everything ok?" she asked. I closed my eyes and squeezed her warm hand, relishing the feel of her delicate fingers in mine one last time. And then, reluctantly, I let go and opened my eyes.

"I'm… fine," I said softly. At that moment I was grateful that the room was off to the side of the stairs, out of sight from my family and friends waiting for us below. Of all people, Alice knew how to read me better than anyone and would immediately know something was terribly wrong. I'd have to try and avoid her the best I could if I was to keep up this polite façade, so as not to ruin Bella's special occasion.

"You're _not_ fine, Edward," she insisted with a harsh whisper. "You look like you're in pain." She was becoming upset. I took a deep breath and forced my face to relax, my lips to curve into my best smile.

"No, really I'm fine," I said and hoped that my voice didn't sound strained. Bella wasn't buying it. I don't know how I could have forgotten that she was as skilled as Alice at reading me. It was something I loved dearly about her, she was so observant. It was something I was going to miss.

"Ok, I understand you don't want to talk about it right now," she offered, staring intently into my eyes. Then she took my hand back, ignoring the involuntary flinch I gave when our skin touched. "But we _will_ talk about this soon." I could handle that, just not tonight and not with an audience. She didn't argue when I dropped her hand again after Jacob called from inside the closed door. He had wrapped up his phone call and was ready for the three of us to head down to the party and 'boogie.'

We made our way to the staircase and Jasper and Emmett immediately came to help me get Jacob and his wheelchair down to the first floor. Jacob was in a good mood, cracking jokes with everyone at his own expense. This is turn made Bella happy, laughing easily with him. But she stayed close to me the entire night and every once in a while I would catch her staring at me with a strange look on her face. She was obviously worried about hurting me with her decision, so I continued to smile and act as normal as I could.

Of course Alice went overboard with everything. Pink flowers of various types were set in vases around the living room, dining room and kitchen. Esme even inserted small accent flowers that were cut from her own garden. Pink balloons filled with helium floated in bunches that lined each doorway, silver curly ribbon floated down each one and sparkled with the dim light. Alice had wanted to create "mood lighting" for a more sophisticated party, and had supplemented with tiny, flickering candles everywhere. I could tell all of this was a bit beyond Bella. Pink wasn't really her favorite color and she never did like people going overboard on her behalf. But she would never tell Alice this, and so neither would I.

When Alice brought out the three tiered cake, we all sang a very poorly tuned but heartfelt birthday song to Bella and watched as she blew out the candles. She was angelic as she closed her eyes briefly before extinguishing the flames in one breath. I could tell she had made her birthday wish and I longed to know what was going through her mind.

"To Bella!" Emmett's voice boomed through the otherwise silent room. I noticed Bella flinch, obviously lost in her own thoughts, while the others chuckled at my brother's lack of tact. Bella smiled quickly as a faint blush spread across her cheeks. Yet another thing I would miss seeing. And causing.

"To being with the ones you love," her small voice said. If the room hadn't already been so quiet, I doubt everyone would have heard her. But as the group gave a hearty "Here, Here" I noticed Bella shoot Jacob a sly wink. No one else seemed to notice, but it was enough to tear my heart a little more.

Alice quickly went to work cutting slices of cake for everyone, giving the first piece to the birthday girl who in turn delivered it straight to Jacob with an evil grin.

"Here Jake," she offered. "Let me help you." And she promptly picked up a hunk of cake in her fingers and smashed it into his face. My family and friends thought this was hysterical and even Jacob laughed a bit from underneath a face full of white cake and pink icing, though he threatened that Bella would soon get her payback. But I could only stand there staring at their playful exchange and feel another little piece of my heart fall away. My mind immediately related the scene to a wedding reception, when the newlyweds would tease each other by smearing their lover's face with cake. I realized then that would never happen between me and Bella, and the pain inside of me finally became too much.

I turned and stormed into the kitchen. I thought I heard someone call my name from behind me, but I ignored it. I paused beside Alice where she stood at the kitchen counter cutting more pieces of cake.

"Sounds like everyone is having fun in there," she said without looking up. I turned to her, planning on delivering some pompous remark as I'm apt to do when angry. But at that moment I was truly at a loss for snide comments. Alice noticed my silence and finally looked up to me, her face becoming worrisome as soon as she took in my appearance.

"Edward, what's wrong," she asked. I felt bad for causing her so much worry. Normally, Alice was my go-to girl for all my problems, especially girl problems. But right now I just wanted to get away. I glanced quickly around the room and through the kitchen windows could see the moonlight gently lighting the garden and beyond.

"I'm sorry," I said pathetically and lowered my gaze from Alice's. My words were lowered and rushed as I tried to get them out before my voice broke. I could feel my throat and chest tightening and knew I would lose it at any second. "I thought I could, but I… I just can't." I practically ran out into the night, not bothering to close the door behind me.

I made my way easily through the winding paths of the garden. I could basically navigate them in my sleep. But as I came upon my favorite bench near the back of our property, I could hear voices calling my name and getting closer. I knew if I stayed I would have to face everyone and explain my actions. I'm not a coward, but I wasn't ready to do that just now. So I stood and pushed aside a rose bush to reveal an opening in the fence. I quietly lifted the latch to open the swinging gate and stepped through.

Walking into the dense woods behind my home, the moonlight shut out by the thick foliage and branches overhead, I let my feet guide me of their own accord as I finally allowed the tears to fill my eyes.

18


	16. Chapter 16

**Rosalie's Dress: ****.?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446248325&afsrc=1&site_refer=GGLBASE001&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=ParentItem0474129010460**

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 16- Bella Point of View**

Edward had been acting strangely ever since he came upstairs to get me and Jacob for the party. He had seemed so happy earlier in the day and I just couldn't understand what would have caused the complete change in him. He had insisted that he was 'fine' even though I knew he was lying. But I thought that maybe it was something he wasn't yet comfortable discussing, so I didn't press the issue.

The party started off great. Of course, Alice had gone way overboard even though she promised me she wouldn't. I didn't want to think about how much she spent on everything, even if it was all pink. I managed to suppress the shudder as I took it all in. But I didn't say anything except a sincere 'thanks' because I couldn't remember a time when anyone went to so much trouble for me.

Everyone looked great, the boys in nice dress shirts and ties. Even Jacob had managed to clean up well despite being isolated in the hospital. I had a feeling Alice had something to do with that. I didn't get to see Rosalie's dress until we were all downstairs, so I made a point to sing her praises in front of Emmett who immediately jumped on the bandwagon to brag about his "smokin' hot girlfriend." Her deep purple jewel toned dress highlighted her beautiful face with a unique neckline. It featured an off center "V" cut, with one thick shoulder strap and one thin. The form fitting materials hugged every curve so that no one in the room would ever disagree with Emmett's analysis.

Jacob was in rare form, ecstatic at having even a brief reprieve from the bland walls of the hospital. As he did that one night at the bar, Jacob got along easily with my new friends. I was so happy to see him finally so at ease. I was about to burst from excitement of meeting his new girlfriend, but I didn't mention it to anyone else so that Jacob could have the honor of introducing her for the first time.

Early in the evening, Alice brought out my cake. It was three layers of pink monstrosity to match the rest of the decorations. It took every breath I had to blow out all the candles, and I used that time to make my birthday wish. Well, maybe not really a wish. Those are reserved for people who still want something they don't have. Here I was with my lifelong friend, a new group of friends and family who I'd already grown so close with, and a wonderful man whose sole purpose in life seemed to make me happy, no matter how unworthy of him I thought myself to be. So with my eyes closed, I blew out all of those candles and gave thanks for my life finally being complete. For friends and family and love… and especially Edward.

When I opened my eyes I looked to Edward and smiled. But he didn't notice me since his gaze was trained on the floor. I was about to walk to him so we could finally go outside and talk when Emmett's voice sounded through the room like thunder and jolted me from my thoughts.

"To Bella!" he toasted even though no one had a drink. I jumped, which caused me to blush, and everyone got a nice little laugh out of that. I don't know what possessed me to say what I did next. Maybe I was inspired from my birthday realization.

"To being with the ones you love," I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. But the group heard every word and responded with a round of "Here, Here." Since Edward wouldn't look at me, I instead caught Jacob's eye and gave him a little wink to recognize our secret that everyone else would know soon enough.

Alice instructed me to follow her into the kitchen to get the first piece of cake. Apparently it was the birthday girl's special honor. But as I returned to the living room and saw Jacob, I remembered my 10th birthday party. That was the year Jacob started to have feelings for girls, and specifically me. But as most little boys do, he showed his affection by tormenting me. He constantly tugged my ponytails and tripped me on the playground to show me just how much he liked me. And after my mom gave me the first piece of my Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake, Jake offered to help me eat it, only to smash it into my face before I could open my mouth. To this day he thinks it's hilarious and keeps a framed picture of it in his bedroom.

"Here Jake," I said after I had stepped next to his chair. "Let me help you." Before he realized what I was doing, I picked up the entire piece of cake in my hand and covered his lower face with it. To say that the girly white cake and pale pink icing looked out of place on his dark russet colored skin was an understatement. I'd never wished for a camera more in my life than I did just then. It sounded like the entire group burst into laughter, led by Emmett's boisterous volume. But when I turned to Edward, who I expected would appreciate this prank more than anyone else, I was shocked to see him walking briskly into the kitchen and fuming mad.

I stood there in the middle of our, well technically his, friends and family with my fingers covered in cake and icing. The jovial laughter died off awkwardly as each person watched Edward's abrupt exit. As I looked around at the rest of the group, I noticed they were just as dumbfounded as me. I finally managed to close my open mouth and call after Edward, but he just kept going.

By the time Esme handed me a napkin to wipe my hands with and I made my way into the kitchen, I was just able to catch a glimpse of his navy blazer as he ran out the back door and into the garden. Alice was ahead of me and out the door before I could ask her what happened, so I followed the best I could. But my insanely high heels sank into the soft grass as soon as I was off the concrete patio. To slow me down even further, the outdoor lights were not turned on and my eyes had not yet adjusted to the faint moonlight that Edward and Alice seemed to navigate just fine with. After stumbling around for a bit, I was beyond frustrated and was doing the best I could to remain calm. But that wasn't really working since I tend to cry when I'm frustrated and I sure as hell didn't know what was going on right now.

Had I done or said something wrong? Something had obviously upset Edward, enough so that he felt the need to leave his friends and family. And me, though I wasn't exactly sure what label he would give me. _Girlfriend?_ We hadn't been dating that long. _Lover?_ We hadn't had… done that yet. _The girl I risked my life to save?_ Well, yes. But it didn't sound as romantic when you put it like that.

I turned left around the corner of a tall shrub and ran smack into Alice coming from the opposite direction. I let out a little yelp of shock, but luckily Alice's hands steadied my shoulders so I didn't fall.

"Where's Edward?" I asked quickly, struggling to see the look on her face in the dark.

"Um… Bella," she answered softly, still holding onto my shoulders. "He's gone…"

"WHAT!?" I shrieked. Alice tightened her grip on me and continued to speak in a hushed tone, the way you might speak to a small child after their goldfish died.

"He's just gone for a walk, probably to clear his head," she explained. "Bella, what happened?"

"I don't know!" I cried frustrated and threw my hands in the air. I could feel the tears coming now. I hated feeling this way. "Everyone was having a good time and then he just… left." Alice took a deep breath and turned my shoulders back the way she had just come from. She led me gently deeper into the garden to a walkway that lined the back edge of the property. When we sat down on a wrought iron bench, I noticed we were in the rose garden, and that made more tears spill over. Everything here reminded me of Edward.

"Bella, this just doesn't seem like Edward," Alice said. "I want you to tell me everything that happened starting from the point that he went upstairs to bring you and Jacob down." And so I did. I told her about how Edward had been acting so strangely during the night. How he made the floorboard creak before he could knock. And how he had promised me we would talk about whatever was bothering him later.

Alice kept making me go back and provide more detail, until I finally confessed to her my entire conversation with Jacob about his new girlfriend. I even explained my fear that Jacob was in love with me, and how relieved I was to find out he really wasn't.

"It just felt so good to tell him how much I loved him," I finished. "And know that he understood it wasn't a romantic kind of love, but like how you would love a brother."

"Bella," Alice interrupted. "What was the last thing you and Jacob said to each other before you noticed Edward was there? The _exact_ wording."

"I told Jake that I was happy for him and that I'd always loved him," I said and was confused when Alice's eyes widened. "And he said that he would always love me, too." I struggled to define the meaning of her panic stricken face. "Alice, I don't understand. What's wrong?" I clutched at her arm as she quickly stood from the bench. But she broke my hold easily and backed away, her eyes glazed over and lost in thought.

"Alice, please talk to me!" I was practically hysterical by now, my voice cracking and the tears coming faster. Alice finally seemed to remember I was there and stepped forward to give me a gentle hug. When she pulled back there was understanding in her eyes.

"It's ok Bella," she reassured me. "We're gonna fix this and then you and Edward are going to look back on this and laugh." I shook my head in confusion, but Alice was already ten paces away before I could say anything.

As soon as Alice was out of sight, the ominous silence of the garden settled around me with tangible weight. It was as if the normal sounds of the Seattle twilight recognized my pain and paid homage by providing me peace. Instead of the evening breeze, all I heard was my ragged breathing. Instead of the random calls from creatures of the night, all I heard was my pounding heart. At that moment when I should have been surrounded by love and friendship, I had never felt so alone. So I stopped trying to hold myself together and let the breakdown begin.

**Edward Point of View**

I was vaguely aware of the soft squishing sound my feet made as I moved without direction through the forest. I wasn't too worried about getting lost, since I kept stopping to take long pauses and supported myself against thick tree trunks. It was as if I had stepped through the looking glass and into another world here, the moonlight held back by the overhead canopy, the night unusually silent.

I had come here to try and think, to get away from the others who were so caught up in their happiness that they couldn't possibly understand how I was feeling. But as I continued on my way, incoherent thoughts escaped me. Her. Mine. Love. Hurt. They were only bits and pieces of my emotions, and though I could feel every one of them, I realized that I understood them least of anyone else.

What had I done? I left her without any explanation. I made a fool of myself and by extension a fool of her on her special night. But maybe this was for the best. This way, I became the bad guy. She wouldn't have to worry about my feelings or letting me down easy. She was free to be with the man she loved and have no regrets of the way things ended with me. And as long as she was happy, that's all that mattered.

I became aware of my surroundings with the sound of water. It was faint, but I immediately recognized it. A short distance later I was upon the trickling stream, a tiny break in the canopy overhead allowing a few beams of moonlight to highlight the flow of the water. The night had become colder and I could see my breath form a hazy mist in front of me after each exhale. Whether it was due to rapidly dropping temperatures or walking deeper into the forest, I do not know. I stopped just inches short of the waterline, hands in my pocket, when a voice spoke softly.

"To be so smart, you're one of the dumbest people I know," the youthful voice said. It startled me… ok, it scared the living daylights out of me. So much so that I jumped back and landed ankle deep in the freezing water. But I didn't dare move as I struggled to focus in the darkened area the voice came from. Finally a body stepped forward from where it was leaning against a tree. Alice.

"Serves you right you now," she said and motioned toward my submerged feet. As if her acknowledgment reminded my body of its current location, the coldness flooded all the way from my toes upward. I shivered roughly before managing to step back to dry ground.

"Of all the places in the woods, you had to come here," I mumbled moodily more to myself than Alice.

"Please Edward," she responded icily. "I know you better than anyone. When we were kids and you were upset about something, you always walked through the woods. And you always came here. The water seemed to calm you down, help you think."

She was right. I hadn't even realized it at the time. It had been years since I felt the need to enter the forest and yet, my mind instinctively knew where to take me. Too bad my mind didn't know how to solve everything else that was going on.

"So do you want to talk?" Alice asked. "Or would you rather just listen?" She didn't sound like she was in the mood to play games. Neither was I.

"I don't want to do either Alice," I said and turned my back on her. "Please just leave me alone."

"Oh no!" she said firmly. I could hear her coming closer to where I stood. "This is going to happen. I'll make you understand if it's the last thing I do. I'm not going to stand aside while you hurt someone who loves you. I won't let you throw away the best thing that's ever happened to you." I shook my head but she continued.

"We all see it Edward, the change in you. The way you look at each other. The way you smile like a goofball when you get off the phone with her. The way you practically run down the stairs in your haste to go and see her…"

"What do you want me to say, Alice?!" I yelled. She paused a moment before placing a light hand on my shoulder.

"I want you to admit that you love her," she whispered. I could tell she thought it was the obvious answer. If only it were that simple.

"I already did that!" my voice rose again as I spun and threw off her hand. A voice in the back of my head chastised me for becoming so angry with my sister and my stomach clenched in disgust. After all, she was only looking out for me, trying to help me fix something I had screwed up so badly. But I wanted to feel the pain. I deserved it for what I put Bella through. So I stepped closer to Alice, peered down my nose at her with what I hoped was an intimidating look. But she was not fooled and she stood her ground. In fact she never even flinched. Instead another voice spoke up in the dark woods, and this one was not so convinced.

"Back off Edward," Jasper said, calm but firm, as he stepped forward and closer to my sister. "It's not her fault if you don't want to hear the truth."

"What is this, gang up on Edward night?" I asked and threw my hands in the air exasperatedly. But I relented and took a few strides away from Alice and Jasper.

"Edward, we're just trying to help," Alice said softly. "You don't understand…" But I wouldn't let her finish. I couldn't stand here and listen to them admonish me, when they had no idea what I was really thinking or feeling.

"No! _You_ don't understand!" I spat at her. "I love her more than I've loved anything in my entire life. And I told her so. But it's not enough for her." I was so upset now and breathing hard. The more I tried to control my emotions, the more out of control they spun.

"Did she tell you that she loved you too?" Alice asked with something different in her tone. I felt like she knew something that I didn't, that she was holding something back.

"No… I mean yes," I stuttered. Now I was confusing myself. "Yes, she told me that she loved me, too.

"Then what's the problem?" Alice asked. Jasper had stepped closer to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The sight of them supporting each other reminded me more of what I had just so recently lost. I looked Alice directly in the eye, hoping she would understand my pain and leave me be.

"She loves someone else, Alice," I said, barely more than a whisper. "I've lost her."

"Edward," she started toward me again but I held up my hand.

"Alice, please. I can't talk about this right now." I once again hung my head, unable to look at the heartbroken look on my sister's face. We were all silent for a moment.

"At least come home," she offered. "It's cold out and you know Esme will worry." She knew I hated to upset my mother, but still I hesitated. I couldn't face Bella yet. I couldn't stand to see the worry in her eyes. The worry for me that I did not deserve.

"Bella's not there," Alice said quickly, as if she was able to read my mind. I glanced up just in time to see Jasper give Alice a quizzical look. But they both quickly returned their expressions to careful neutrality when they looked back to me.

"Fine," I said and gestured for them to lead the way. Alice took Jasper by the hand and began leading the way back to our home. No one said anything else during the walk. As the sound of the bubbling stream faded in the background, the eerie silence of the night returned and added to my somber mood. Even as we finally approached the break in the tree line and the bright lights of our home, the strange silence continued. At least someone had finally turned on the garden lights, so that we could easily find the fence gate.

Alice lifted the latch of the gate and walked through, pushing the rose bush aside as she went. Jasper held the gate door open for me, motioning me inside. I crouched to walk underneath the vines that Alice continued to hold for me and finally Jasper. As I straightened, my eyes immediately focused on the broken body crying silently on the garden bench mere feet from where I stood. She hadn't noticed our arrival yet, which was good. I could still make a cowardly escape. I turned quickly to slip through the gate again, but came chest to chest with Jasper who just shook his head.

"I knew you wouldn't listen to me," Alice said, not bothering to keep her voice low. I heard a gasp from my left and knew Bella had seen me. We all stood there, still as statues, for what seemed like forever. When Alice seemed satisfied that I wouldn't run, she locked eyes with Jasper who immediately fell in step behind her as she walked back to the house. I watched them until they disappeared around the corner. Then I finally turned my attention back to Bella.

What was left of my heart broke at the sight before me. Bella's face was full of pain and streaked with tears, her makeup smudged around her eyes. Her fair skin was even paler than usual as I realized she had been outside this entire time waiting on me, in nothing but that slinky dress. Instinctively I stepped forward and removed my jacket to place it around her shoulders. She reached up to grab hold of it and accidentally brushed her fingers against mine. She was freezing cold. I had meant to keep my distance, but my heart overrode my brain and I soon found myself sitting on the bench with her, rubbing my hands up and down her arms to warm her. Neither of us said anything for a long time.

"Edward…"

"Bella…" we both began at the same time.

"You first," she offered quietly and wiped away the wetness underneath her eyes. I could tell she was trying very hard not to cry again, and the thought of upsetting her further tore at my insides. I knew I had to say my peace quickly, before I lost the nerve. So I fixed my eyes on my now muddy dress shoes and took a deep breath.

"Bella, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy," I started. "And I want you to know that I understand. I can see it in your eyes. You probably didn't even realize it until it was too late." Her body shook and I forced myself to look up at her. She was crying again, but her mouth was set in a firm line, hurt clearly written all over her face. She tensed under my hold and then turned to look at me.

"Then why did you say it?" she asked, speaking clearly through the tears. Her question startled me and she must have seen it in my face because she continued. "Why did you tell me you loved me?"

I didn't understand her question, or the anger in her voice. My love had never been the problem. In fact, it was the only thing I was sure of. The only thing I was still sure of.

"Because… I didn't know… I didn't realize… until tonight…" I struggled for an answer. How was I supposed to explain that my love for her blinded me of her love for him?

"Bella?" a masculine voice cut through the night. _His_ voice. I steeled myself for the confrontation about to take place. I could be polite to Bella. But I wouldn't deny myself the satisfaction of facing down with Jacob. A few seconds later, he appeared around the corner of the garden path, seated in his wheelchair and being pushed slowly by a young woman I'd never seen before.

"I'm here Jacob," Bella answered, her voice on the verge of breaking again. The anger was now gone from her face, replaced with sorrow and regret. It was as if seeing Jacob with this strange girl only intensified her pain. I was now thoroughly confused as to what was going on.

"Are you ok?" Jacob asked softly, though his hard eyes were trained directly on me. The girl at his side clutched his hand in hers, her other hand touching his shoulder as if to calm the obvious tension. Beside me, Bella took a deep breath and wiped her face again before standing up and handing me my jacket. This is it… she's leaving.

Without so much as a second glance at me, she lifted her chin and relaxed her shoulders. Then she strode straight toward Jacob. I expected her to take the place of the young woman, to take Jacob's hand and leave me forever. What I did not expect was what she did next.

"You must be Renesmee," she said as she extended her hand. "I'm Bella." I couldn't see Bella's expression, but it must have been friendly as the girl's face softened and she relaxed. She grasped Bella's hand and shook it quickly. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," the girl, Renesmee, said. "Jakey here has told me so much about you." _Jakey?_

"I wish I could say Jake's told me all about you, but I'm afraid he just filled me tonight," Bella said. The girl rolled her eyes at Jacob, clearly frustrated. But she didn't let go of his hand.

"At least he didn't tell you to call me Nessie," she responded. This was clearly some joke that I was not included on, as the tension between all three seemed to crack and they laughed together.

"Well, I'm really looking forward to getting to know you better," Bella said.

"Speaking of," Jacob interrupted. "Can we take you home?" He glanced at me around Bella's side. She paused a moment, then shook her head.

"No," she sighed. "I need to finish things here. I'll get Alice to take me home." I didn't know what to think. I had been so sure that Bella would leave with Jacob. Now I didn't know what was about to happen, but it didn't sound good. Bella turned her attention back to the girl at Jacob's side. "It was very nice to meet you Renesmee. We'll get together soon, I promise."

"I'd like that," Renesmee said sweetly. She then turned Jacob's chair back toward the house and looked briefly at me with a sympathetic smile. She looked as confused as me. At least I wasn't the only one. It occurred to me that I probably should have offered to push Jacob's chair, but I just didn't have the energy. And a selfish part of me wanted to spend these last few minutes with Bella alone. She stood there watching them for a moment before turning to me. Her relaxed expression quickly turned back to angst when she looked at me, and I once again hated that I made her feel that way.

"I'm sorry that came at such an awkward moment," she said, still standing in the middle of the walkway. I hadn't yet moved from my seat on the bench. "That wasn't really how I wanted you, or anyone else, to find out."

"Bella, you don't have to explain anything to me," I offered.

"You're right, it's really Jacob's place to explain…" she started.

"No!" I quickly interrupted. "I mean… as hard as… _this_ is… I'd much rather hear it from you." After all, this could be one of the last times I ever hear her voice. My stomach dropped at the realization that I wouldn't be able to handle being just friends with Bella. I would always want more. I would always want her in ways that she would never want me. The only thing to do to save my sanity and her discomfort would be to cut all ties.

"Yeah, well I guess the cat's out of the bag now," she continued with a light smile. Lost under a thick blanket of self pity, I couldn't return her enthusiasm.

"I guess so," I spat out bitterly. I didn't look to see if Bella noticed the change in my mood. She was quiet for a moment as I once again studied the stitching of my dress shoes. Finally, she took a deep breath and walked toward me.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be enough for you Edward," she whispered. "I hope you find what you're looking for, someone who truly deserves you." She placed the faintest of kisses on my forehead, the burning sensation remained on my skin even after her lips retreated. And then she was gone. I faintly heard the door to the house close and realized I had lost several minutes while she walked away, effectively taking my life with her. I was on the verge of tears and couldn't contain the hurricane of emotions swirling within me. All I wanted at that moment was to get to my room and bury myself in my sorrows. So I stood from the bench and put my blazer back on before slowly making my way to the house.

Quite opposite to the mood earlier, the house was quiet as I entered the back door to the kitchen. There was no trace of Bella left and I assumed my sister had taken her home as she had requested. The rest of my family and friends had disappeared as well… all except Emmett who sat at the kitchen counter helping himself to a piece of cake. Only he could eat at a time like this.

"So how'd it go with Bella?" he asked with a mouthful of food that garbled his words.

"Emmett, I don't really want to talk about it," I said as I headed out of the kitchen. I could see the stairs from the corner of my eye, a feeling of relief coming over me as I realized I was closet to escape.

"Fine," Emmett grumbled from his seat as I passed him. I was stepping through the doorway into the living room when I barely caught Emmett's next question.

"Did you at least meet Jacob's girlfriend? That was a shocker…" He kept saying something else but the rest of his words were lost on me. _Jacob's girlfriend?_ Everything clicked into place and it felt like I'd been hit with a sonic boom. Flashes of images passed before me as the pieces fell together. The girl at his side, holding his hand. Bella's secretive wink to Jacob after toasting to love. Bella insisting that it should have been Jacob's place to tell.

And then my heart plummeted below the floor as her final words came back to me. '_I'm sorry I couldn't be enough for you Edward_.' She thought _I_ was the one whose love was false. '_I hope you find what you're looking for, someone who truly deserves you_.' She thought _I _didn't want to be with her, that _I _was looking for someone else. She thought she didn't deserve me, when in fact it was the other way around. She thought _I_ was breaking up with _her_.

I turned to face Emmett, who was still bent over his piece of birthday cake. He hadn't noticed anything was wrong, and I didn't have time to explain it to him. All I knew what that I needed to get to Bella. Explain things to her and beg her forgiveness from my knees. So I veered right out of the kitchen toward the front of the house. I snatched my keys from the entryway table where I always put them. Alice hadn't been gone too long. If I drove fast enough I might be able to catch up with them, heck even beat them to Bella's apartment. My mind was running a mile a minute as I opened the front door, not bothering to close it behind me. But instead of flying down the front steps in haste, I froze in place when I saw Bella, the love of my life, standing there across the yard. Her back was to me as she watched Alice fiddling under the hood of her canary yellow Porsche.

"Maybe I should get Emmett or Jasper to take me home," Bella said. I could tell by the tone of her voice that her patience was running out. But I couldn't help but smile. Alice's car trouble's had basically saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life.

"Nonsense," Alice insisted. "I just need a few more minutes." She lifted her head and caught sight of me standing behind Bella. "Um, why don't you go inside to wait and warm up?" Bella just shrugged her shoulders and turned back toward the house. She took a few steps before she noticed me standing there, blocking her path inside. She froze in place, uncertain of what to do next, as we stared at each other.

The powerful roar of the Porsche's performance engine coming to life interrupted the awkward silence, causing both of us to jump. Alice quickly put the car in gear and drove it around the side of the house where the garage was. Bella watched in fear as her transportation home disappeared, mumbling something about a '_stupid little pixie_' and '_engine problems my foot_.' I concealed my amusement the best I could as she looked back at me, remembering what I needed to do.

I proceeded down the stairs slowly, stopping just a few feet short of where she stood. All the while, Bella cast nervous glances between me and the direction Alice had driven. She refused to meet my eyes, so I decided to speak first.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I said sincerely. She still wouldn't look at me, so I reached out my hand and trailed a finger softly down her arm. She shivered under my touch, though I couldn't tell whether it was from me or the cold night air. I paused at her wrist, before manning up and taking her small hand in mine. I tentatively pulled on her hand in an attempt to bring her closer to me, but she refused to budge.

"Edward, please," she begged with a shaky voice. "This just hurts too much."

I realized I needed to convince her, prove to her how much I loved her and wanted only to be with her. With all the courage I could muster, I closed the distance between us and pulled her hand to rest over my heart. I used my other hand to lift her chin, forcing her to look up at me. And without any further hesitation I kissed her with every ounce of love I held in my being.

She was frozen at first, resisting in order to protect her heart. But after a moment, she exhaled something between a breath and a sob and became pliant in my arms. I pulled her tighter as my lips pressed forcefully over hers. Her lips finally parted to give my tongue full access, while her hands gripped my blazer as if she was holding on for her life. In fact, it felt like that for me to, that I was kissing her as if my life depended on it. Because it did. I had to convince Bella of my love for her with this kiss or she might leave my life forever. And that would be the ruin of me.

We finally, reluctantly broke apart for air. Bella's eyes filled with tears and I knew I had to set things straight before she broke down again.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I misunderstood everything," I began, though I know it wasn't much of an explanation. "I'm such an idiot." This last part I said more to myself as I shook my head. She began to lower her face from me, but I wouldn't allow it.

"Bella, I love you," I said with conviction and stared into her eyes.

"But you…" she began. The confusion was clear in her face and it was up to me to make sure she understood.

"Bella, tonight when I came upstairs, I heard you tell Jacob that you loved him," I explained. "And after seeing you two that night at the garage, and this past week at the hospital, and knowing your history…" This time it was she that stopped me.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "You thought I loved Jake? Like really _loved_ him?" Hearing it like this, and knowing what I do now, I was embarrassed at how stupid it sounded. So instead of replying I simply nodded my head.

"But what you said tonight… I don't understand." She was clearly trying to make the pieces fit without success.

"Bella, I thought you had realized that you loved Jacob, that you were leaving me for him," I admitted. "Those things I said, I was just trying to ease the guilt I thought you were feeling for leaving me." I watched her face as my words sunk in. Slowly, some of the pain lifted as realization set in.

"You… want me?" she asked unbelievingly. "You… you love me?" I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. It just seemed so obscene, so obscure that she would ever have trouble believing those things. The chuckle escaped my lips before I could restrain it. Bella's face immediately flushed bright red, a hint of anger returning to her eyes.

"Are you laughing at me?" she cried. I ceased laughing and returned my face to what I hoped appeared to be a serious expression. But she knew me and she immediately noticed the uncontrollable twitch at the corner of my mouth. I had to do damage control and quickly.

"I'm sorry, love," I said softly. From the way she looked at me, her face relaxing from anger to something else, I knew I had her attention. "It's just that I can't help but laugh. It seems so preposterous that you would ever doubt my love for you when it's so obvious to everyone else. I mean, my family has been talking about it since the first moment I ever saw you." Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before she spoke.

"It just… I never understood how someone like you… could love someone like me," she said sadly.

"Bella," I answered, "what's not to love? You're absolutely perfect and I'm never letting you go again." My heart lifted as she finally smiled back at me, the smile growing more as she comprehended each word. Slowly, I bent to kiss her and show her just how much I meant those words, starting now.

"Hey, you two lovebirds about got this cleared up?" Emmett's booming voice sounded behind us. He never was one to pick the right moment to interrupt. He was about as subtle as a nuclear blast. This time it was Bella that laughed while I settled my forehead against hers with a frustrated groan. We slowly turned to the front porch to see not only Emmett standing there, a bag of chips in his hand, but also Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Esme.

"If you're through, Bella has presents to open," Alice chimed in cheerily. It didn't escape my notice that they were all beaming at us, as if they already knew we'd cleared everything up. I had a sneaky suspicion that Alice had already filled them in. She always seemed to know exactly how things would turn out.

"I thought you agreed not to buy presents," Bella pouted. I don't mean figurative pouting either… I mean full out, bottom lip poked, arms across chest, foot stomping, pouting with a capital 'P.'

"Silly Bella," Alice said as she turned back into the house pulling Jasper behind her. "I lied!" Emmett choked on his chips and Rosalie slapped him on the back. I don't think it was just to help him cough up the chips, either.

"What?" he cried, looking first at Rosalie and then back at Bella. "Oh come on, Bells. You really should know Alice better than that by now." I expected Bella to keep pouting, but was relived to see her smile had returned. I think she was learning it was best not to argue with Alice about things like this. Because you would not win.

I wrapped my arm around Bella's shoulders and led her toward the house. As we ascended the front porch steps, she paused and looked around.

"Where's Jacob?" she asked. Esme, who had waited for us to join her on the porch before going into the house, was the one to answer.

"He was getting tired, so Carlisle offered to take him back to the hospital," she explained. "The young lady went with him." Esme's loving tone was just what Bella needed outside of my boneheaded friend's joking.

"That was very kind of him to do," Bella said and took Esme's hand in her own lightly. "Thank you again for opening your home to me. It really means so much." Emse's face lit up.

"You're so welcome dear," she responded and gave Bella a brief hug. "You're always welcome here. You're a part of this family now." With that she gave me a knowing smile over Bella's shoulder and then stepped back into the house.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked, half joking about the birthday festivities my sister still had planned, but half not.

"Yeah," she said, but without conviction. I immediately knew what was holding her back from full enjoyment and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"We'll go see Jacob at the hospital tomorrow," I offered. "We'll… I mean _I'll_ explain things. I'll even buy lunch as a peace offering."

"Better make it lunch _and_ desert," she said with a laugh. "Jake has quite an appetite." And with that I knew things would be ok.

"Tomorrow then," I said as I led her back inside. She glanced up at me and though brief, I tried to tell her with my eyes that my promise was so much more than just another day. When I said '_tomorrow'_, I really meant '_and every day after that, forever_.' Maybe I was reading too much into it, but the warm smile that she gave me back shone all the way to her eyes, as if to say '_I know_.'

20


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: As my name is not Stephanie Meyer, I do not own Twilight or any of the related stories. No matter how much I wish I did. **

**Chapter 17, Part I- Edward Point of View (8 months later)**

My stomach was in knots. A faint sheen of sweat had broken out on my palms, forehead and back. I was pacing my room like a mad man, just as I had been for the past few hours. Today, the time didn't want to pass, choosing instead to drag by at a snail's pace that only heightened my frazzled nerves. I needed to find something else to do, but I'd already eliminated the other options one by one earlier in the afternoon.

I graduated. I should have been more excited about this fact. Really, I tried to meet the overwhelming exuberance of my family. Esme woke me up with a hearty breakfast in bed. Alice laid out my dress clothes, which she had painstakingly ironed to perfection. Although I suspect the real reason that effort was made was so that she could make sure I didn't embarrass her with my fashion choice. Emmett and Rosalie even stopped by. While Rosalie was visiting with Alice, Emmett let himself into my room as I was getting ready. He nonchalantly tossed a gift on my bed while giving me the token "bro hug" with a quick slap on the back. No words were necessary.

While I was thankful for all of their spirited congratulations, the truth was that I didn't really feel that different. Sure, this should have been a defining moment in my life, symbolic of the completion of one era and moving forward into another. But I still had at least another four years of school and training before I could "officially" start my medical career. Plus, I didn't want my career as a doctor to be my only defining characteristic. There was more I wanted out of my life. More I wanted to be… and be with.

We finally made it out of the house and to the college campus for the graduation ceremony. I rode with Alice, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle was to meet us there straight from his morning rounds at the hospital. Bella had called to let me know she was running late and would meet us there as well.

"Congratulations son," my father's warm voice called from behind me as I stood outside the main entrance to the amphitheater. I turned to see his smiling face beaming with pride as he pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't be at the house this morning with the rest of the family."

"It's ok Dad," I said with sincerity. "I'm just happy you could be here for the ceremony. It means a lot."

"It means the world to me too, Edward," he said as he released me from the hug, but left a hand firmly grasping my shoulder. "I have something for you when we return home." The gleam in his eyes peaked my interest. Carlisle was normally one to share impactful words of wisdom on special occasions. Gift giving was usually Esme and Alice's area of expertise.

"Come on Dad!" Alice cried, officially ending any opportunity I had to inquire further. "We need to get good seats so I can take pictures!" Carlisle just winked as he walked to where Alice was dragging both my mother and Rosalie toward the entrance with a surprising amount of strength, muttering something about "final wedding decisions." Emmett just shook his head and he trudged along behind them with his hands in his pockets.

Six months ago, Emmett finally worked up enough courage to propose to Rosalie. He wasn't worried about whether or not she was the right one, or even whether or not she would say yes. Instead, he was more worried about the fashion in which he proposed and if it would be acceptable to his future bride. Rosalie was the first to admit she had high standards, and if the story of their proposal wasn't fascinating enough to one day tell the grandkids, it was likely she'd send him back to the drawing board.

Luckily, I helped him pull some strings to make the event Rosalie-worthy. Let's just say it involved a horse-drawn carriage, enough flowers and candles to deplete all of Seattle's supply, and a helicopter landing on a historic hotel rooftop. Nothing short of a Hollywood movie, but again, completely Rosalie-worthy.

After my family had disappeared inside, I waited a few more minutes for Bella. It was nearing the time that I needed to get in line for the ceremony. Finally, I sighed deeply and walked to the side of the theater where graduates were to meet and be placed in the proper order. I guessed Bella was still running late and crossed my fingers that she would at least get to see me receive my diploma. I turned the corner of the building with my head down and caught a glimpse of mahogany as it collided with my chest and bounced backward.

"Umphh!" The sound came out more as a squeak as she hit the ground, amazingly able to keep herself upright as she bounced on her bottom. Her long hair flew in her face, but she tossed it aside with a frustrated exhale of breath.

"We seem to keep meeting like this," I chuckled, referring to our first collision on this same campus so many months ago. I bent down to assist her and tried to hide my amusement. "Are you ok?" In the time we had been together, I had grown more accustomed to her clumsiness. And while I still worried for her safety in instances such as these, I could always remind myself that I'd seen far worse. She looked up at me with rose colored cheeks and a frown.

"How is it that I always bounce off of you like you're a brick wall?" she asked in mock irritation as I helped her to her feet by clutching her elbow. She was holding a beautifully wrapped present in a vice grip between both hands. "I'm still waiting for the day that _you_ get knocked on your ass."

"Didn't you know, I'm indestructible," I said with her favorite crooked smile and a wink that I knew she couldn't resist. "Like Superman."

"Hmph, more like Mighty Mouse," she teased back and I knew that she wasn't really mad at me. "Sorry I'm late."

"All that matters is that you're here now," I assured her and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. She immediately smiled. I looked at the box she cradled in her hands. "Is that a gift for me?"

"Edward Cullen! How incredibly presumptuous of you to assume just because I am carrying a wrapped box on the day that you are graduating from college that said gift is for you!" Her tone was accusatory but the smile never left her face.

"Whatcha get me?" I asked playfully and made to snatch the present from her hands. But for once she was faster than me and quickly moved it out of my grasp.

"Ah-Ah!" she teased. "Diploma first! Present later!"

"Well can I have some type of parting gift now?" I pouted and pulled her to me until she was pressed tightly against my chest. She pretended to think about it a minute before relenting.

"I guess," she said with a roll of her eyes. I didn't let her stay in character too long before I wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and fused our lips together. It was slow and sweet, but I could feel the passion and promise of things to come pouring forth without me even trying.

"Wow," Bella breathed as we finally broke apart, her eyes still closed. "Where did that come from?" If she only knew.

"I love you," I said and she laughed at the obviousness.

"I love you too," she replied. I took a mental picture of her eyes, sparkling with the honesty in her voice. I knew that I could tell her that I loved her for the rest of all time and her eyes would always portray her happiness at hearing those words for just as long.

Reluctantly I had to let her go, with me going to be situated with the other graduates, her going to join the rest of my family in the seat that Alice saved her. I didn't really remember much of the graduation ceremony, my thoughts running in so many directions other than where I physically was at the time. But it was hard to miss the applause of my family when they called my name, especially the rowdy antics of my older brother as I crossed the stage.

We all made it home after having lunch together at my favorite restaurant. I immediately pulled Bella upstairs and into my room for some alone time. While we had become more and more intimate over the past few months, we had yet to make love. Not for lack of trying on Bella's part. I think she had actually been complaining about "blue balls" more than me. But after everything we'd been through, I just wanted to wait for the right time. Unfortunately, with my final semester of pre-med wrapping up I had little to no time create an experience that was nothing less than perfect for Bella. Good thing that was about to change soon.

"Edward," she giggled as I dropped back on my bed, pulling her on top of me. "We can't do this here. Your whole family's home." She was breathless, only getting out a few words at a time between my kisses.

"Do you know how often I've had to listen to Emmett and Rosalie, or Alice and Jasper?" I replied while moving my lips down her neck in the way I knew Bella loved. "Heck, even Carlisle and Esme for that matter! I say it's time for a little payback." I gently pulled her soft sweater to the side to run my tongue along her collar bone. Bella let out a little sigh, her head tilting to the side to allow me better access.

"But don't you want your present?" she whispered after a minute of my attentions.

"Hmm, I thought you were my present," I said, not once stopping my course along her skin. She placed her tiny hand on my cheek, lifting my face to look at her. She smiled back at me with a look of adoration.

"You'll always have me," she said sincerely. "But this is a special occasion and your girlfriend wants to give you a present." She placed a sweet kiss on my lips, then pushed off of me to sit back on the bed. She reached over to the opposite side of the bed and retrieved the wrapped box that she so diligently refused to give me earlier.

"Go on, open it," she instructed as she placed it in my lap. With a grin as wide as my face, I tore into the paper like a five year old. In a flurry of ripped gift wrap and tissue paper, my breath caught in my throat when I finally lifted a gleaming black stethoscope from the box.

"Bella…," was all I could manage to say, as my eyes traced the gift's sleek curves.

"It's engraved," she said shyly, turning the stethoscope over in my hands so I could see the bell. There, freshly engraved, read "Dr. E.A. Cullen."

"Bella…," was all I could mutter. Yes, I just graduated from a pre-med program. No, I couldn't think of anything better to say than to repeat myself like a parrot.

"If you don't like it…" Bella began insecurely, obviously mistaking my hesitance for disapproval.

"No!" I cut her off loudly. "This is amazing, Bella. You are amazing. Thank you so, so much." I gently grasped her chin and lifted her face to mine. I stared into her beautiful brown eyes for a moment to further prove my sincerity before placing a tender kiss of gratitude upon her lips.

"You're welcome," she breathed, and I felt her lips curve upward into a smile against my own. As she leaned back she seemed to remember something.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, Jake called this morning."

"Yeah?" I asked. We hadn't seen him in a while.

"He got clearance from his therapist to return to full training," she explained. After six weeks of intensive physical therapy, Jacob's cast had been removed. He was placed in a leg brace that he had to wear during physical activity, limited as he was allowed at that time. Knowing how much it meant to him to eventually return to firefighter training, Bella tagged along to one of his therapy sessions and managed a private conversation with the therapist without Jacob knowing. Together, the two concocted a plan to help Jacob get back on his feet even faster.

Somehow they got in touch with Seattle's fire chief and explained the situation. Within a week, Jacob's therapist officially moved his sessions from the doctor's office he normally operated out of to one of the largest fire houses in the city. He now did stair climbers on the stairs to the firefighters' bunks instead of a machine. He did leg lifts with firemen boots instead of ankle weights. And with the easy rapport Jacob built with the firemen of Ladder 12, he had his own cheering section each and every session.

"That's great!" I said. "Are they going to be able to make room for him in the next class in Portland? I know it took a while for them to make space for him the first time."

"No, that's the best part," she answered excitedly. "He's made such an impression on the guys at the firehouse that they reported directly back to the fire chief. And he personally made a request for Jacob to be added to the next class at the Seattle training center. That's another reason why he called, to explain why he wouldn't be at your graduation today."

That was probably the most unexpected thing about the entire _incident_. Jacob and I had become very close friends. If it weren't for him, I don't know how things would have ended up. I owed him everything. And luckily, there were some ways I could begin to pay him back. Jacob's insurance was basic, to say the least. After his initial surgery, he was supposed to be moved to a different hospital. But I had my dad pull some strings to keep him where he was to receive the best care.

His insurance also was only going to pay for six physical therapy sessions. But it was obvious that to get Jacob back to the level he had been at he would need much more than that. Again, I had my dad check into things and we managed to not only connect Jacob with the best orthopedic therapist in the city, but he would receive all of the physical therapy he needed at no additional cost. Sometimes it's good to be the son of Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

When my schedule would allow, I was with Jacob at every check-up appointment and physical therapy session. At first, it was simply because he couldn't drive himself. But Jacob confessed to me that he didn't always understand what the doctors were saying to him. So I started going in with him and serving as "translator." Not only was it the first time I got to test out my bedside manner, but it also gave me a better insight to what Jacob was dealing with. He would put on such a strong face in front of Bella, but in these sessions his emotions were real and raw. I made it my mission to be strong for him.

"I'm really happy for him," I told Bella and squeezed her hand. "We'll all have to go celebrate when he finishes the training." She smiled back at me, absolutely beaming. I knew it meant the world to her for me and Jacob to get along so well.

"Come on Bella, we have to get ready for tonight!" Alice exclaimed as she burst through the door to my room. Before I could get a word out else wise, she grabbed Bella by the hand and forcefully drug through the door. I pretended to put up a fight by calling after them, but it was all part of the ruse. Bella thought we had another family celebration tonight with relatives that were coming in from out of town. But I had other plans. Everything had already been taken care of, which left me with several hours of free time and nothing to do, while my sister took her job as Bella's personal stylist for the evening a little too seriously. Neither was a good combination, but I was at least secure in the fact that Bella would be nothing less than perfect after my sister's efforts. Not that she was less than perfect to begin with, but that's beside the point.

To pass the time, I started straightening my room. That took all of ten minutes since I'm pretty much a neat freak anyway. So I latched onto anything and everything that would help me pass the minutes: responding to emails, playing online games, refolding my socks. You know, the usual.

Which led me to now. Stomach in knots. Pacing like a madman. I was about to go ask Esme if she needed any toilets scrubbed when there was a steady knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I called. The door cracked and Carlisle stuck his head in.

"Do you have a moment?" he asked tentatively, understanding the thoughts that were probably running through my head at the moment. I nodded, grateful for the distraction.

He closed the door behind him and when he turned I could see that he held a plain white box in his hands. He laid it behind him as he sat next to me on my bed. I could tell by the look in his eyes that it was time for "a talk." A strange sense of déjà vu came over me as we sat there, the exact same place we'd had "a talk" about eight years ago. But this one was much better than the awkward discussion we had when I was fifteen and starting to take a more serious interest in girls. No, this talk was about the heartfelt pride of a father for his son, especially a son that was following in his footsteps into the medical world.

It was times like these that I felt so fortunate. Carlisle and Esme were not my parents by blood. But they had given me and Alice something so much more important than a DNA test could ever prove. Their unconditional love made us their children in every right. And as Carlisle spoke to me with sincerity shining in his words and eyes, I silently thanked whatever greater good I believed in for bringing them into my life.

"Son, I won't lie to you," Carlisle said softly as he pulled the white box into his lap. "The profession you have chosen isn't an easy one." He looked down at the box and paused, as if he was contemplating on what to say next. When he looked back up at me his proud smile briefly disappeared.

"Being a doctor can be very rewarding," he continued with a determined look. "But there will be days that make you question yourself, your choice." His voice dropped to barely a whisper as he looked down at the box once more. I lifted my hand to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. He took a deep breath and looked back up to my face, a spark back in his eyes and a small smile forming from his lips.

"But you must always remember you are never alone," he said and lifted the lid from the box. He peeled back plain white tissue paper to reveal a worn leather binder. I could tell by looking at it that the brown material was soft from use over the years, the binding creased from constant opening. I looked back to Carlisle with my eyebrow raised curiously.

"When I was your age and just starting, your Grandpa Cullen passed away," he said sadly. "My father had been my role model, inspiring me to help people just as he did. And when I graduated from high school and entered my pre-med program, he was there every step of the way, guiding me like my own personal compass." I nodded to let him know I was listening. But a voice in my head wondered how I would handle something like that. How would I proceed if my own mentor was suddenly gone?

"Afterwards, I isolated myself behind a wall of grief," he shook his head, physically admitting the mistake he had made by doing so. "I convinced myself that no one would understand what I was going through, both personally and professionally. After about a year of this, your grandmother put her foot down." He chuckled at the memory and I was relieved to see the smile back on his face. It was obvious that Carlisle had learned to deal with him own demons through the years.

"She lured me to her house under the false pretense that the water heater had busted. When I got there, she locked the door behind me and refused to let me leave until I broke down my own walls of grief. I hadn't realized how much I was hurting other people, the same people who had loved me right alongside my father."

I felt it then, the lump in my throat. I was on the verge of crying as this new Carlisle sat in front of me. I'd never known anything of him beyond the strong patriarch of our family, the man that loved his wife, daughter and son with an unparalleled devotion.

"But what really helped me to change was when she told me how my father had struggled during his first years too. Everything she said, every story she told was so similar to what was happening to me and how I felt. It was like she was inside my own mind. And then she gave me this." He lifted the leather binder gently in his hands, as if it would crumble to dust underneath his fingertips. He lovingly ran his thumb across the side of the pages and smiled again as if the touch brought him great peace.

"Your grandfather kept a journal of his experiences. Each test at school, interesting cases, mistakes and successes he had along the way. I can't tell you how much this journal helped me." He finished his tale and laid the book carefully on my bed. He then reached back into the box and retrieved another leather journal, its color not as faded as the first but equally as used.

"I followed his example and kept a journal of my own," he explained as he lifted the second book. "When I failed to find solace or answers in his words, I wrote down my thoughts. It seemed to help, as if my mind wanted to subconsciously give me a solution to whatever I was facing." He took another deep breath and gently placed both books back within the soft confines of the tissue paper before replacing the lid of the box.

"The point of all of this, Edward, is to remember who you are and that you are _never_ alone," he said as he looked me in the eye. The emotion was clear in his voice, but rather than breaking with pain and sadness, he spoke to me with such strength and confidence I had never seen in him before.

"I want you to have these now," he said as he stood from the bed. I rose as well while he pushed the box closer to me. I knew if I tried to speak that the tears would flow over and I wanted to remain strong after Carlisle shared so much with me. I settled for a hug, but I held on longer than I had for the "bro hug" with Emmett. Carlisle nodded as he stepped away, acknowledging my silent thanks.

"I marked a page in my journal for you," he said as he made his way through the door. "I hope it can bring you reassurance as it always has for me."

It was a strange sensation to suddenly know just how proud my family was of me, somewhat fulfilling and in other ways completely frightening. I released a harsh breath and fell back into a sitting position on the bed. The motion bounced the white box and I immediately reached out to steady it. Curiosity got the better of me and I reopened the box to further investigate its contents. I smiled as I lifted first my grandfather's, and then my father's journals. I could practically feel the years of experience and pearls of wisdom dripping from their pages. As I held them, something else in the box caught my eye.

I reluctantly placed the two books of my forefathers down to see what was left in the box. A huge smile broke across my face as I lifted the brand new, black leather journal into view. The color was a stark contrast compared to the older versions. It glinted in the light as if it had just been oiled. The masculine smell of the leather surrounded me, as did the clean scent of the pages as opened the book and fanned through the empty pages. As I closed it, I noticed that my initials, E.A.C., were embossed on the front cover.

It wasn't until I lowered my personal journal to my lap that my thoughts returned to Carlisle's parting words. There was something he wanted me to read. Sure enough, when I looked to the book that contained so many of his life's experiences, I noticed a slightly tattered red ribbon protruding the middle. I anxiously switched my hold to see what wisdom my father had in store for me.

The book fell open easily to the crisp, marked page. It was filled from top to bottom, back to front, with what I instantly recognized as Carlisle's tiny scribble. I remembered Esme once saying that becoming a doctor was written in the stars because I had inherited my father's "trademarked chicken scratch." I began reading his story and wondered how I would know what my father wanted me to take from this page.

The words flowed easily with a confidence and determination that eerily reminded me of Carlisle's demeanor from moments before. How strange that I felt I knew him so well from our years together, and yet here I was seeing a side to him I'd never imagined. Twice in one day no less. But as I continued reading, I found the source of his self assurance.

This page was written the day Carlisle admitted to himself that he loved Esme. His feelings for her and desire to be with her was written out with such brutal honesty that it was shocking. And as I came to the end of the page, the final sentence was underlined. The royal blue line looked much fresher than the faded blank ink appeared, as if he had gone back to it recently. Was this line specifically what he wanted me to know? But my questions went no further as I took in his words.

"_As long as I have her by my side, for the rest of eternity, then I can do all else_."

I sucked in a quick gasp of air and held it, my eyes wide with surprise. I could have sworn that my heart stopped beating for a few moments. But as I slowly released the breath, I felt different. The nervousness and anticipation I had been experiencing earlier filtered out with the last of the stagnate air, replaced by a strange calmness. I recognized it immediately. It was the same way I felt as I first held Bella in my arms in the garage the night of her kidnapping, after my adrenaline from the fight had died and I was able to relax knowing she was safe in my arms. While she rested her head against my chest as if listening to my heart, I closed my eyes and placed my cheek on the top of her head. And for a fleeting moment, everything else disappeared and all was right in the world. Our world.

I never really understood that feeling until now. And that understanding gave me confidence. Confidence that I would be enough. Confidence that I wouldn't mess up. Confidence that she could love me as much as I loved her. And with that came… peace.

Grabbing a pen from my bedside table, I began writing my thoughts on the first page. I quickly scribbled the date and time in the top corner. I had filled three pages front and back before I glanced up at the clock. With a start, I realized the time had flown by and I was now running late. In my haste to leave, I jotted down one final thought that summarized the flooding of emotions over the past few pages.

"_I know what I'm doing now is right…"_

**Bella Point of View**

"You've got to be kidding me?" I said to Alice as I stared at the tiny objects dangling from her hands. Well, not even her hands, but more specifically her index finger. The thin straps of the supermodel caliber stilettos sparkled around her finger from the day's fading light filtering through her window. I shook my head vehemently. "N-O."

I hadn't worn heels since the night of my birthday party. I hadn't fallen then, but that was mostly because I spent the majority of the night in the garden, my legs anchored to the ground as the designer heels sunk in the soft ground. It was a night that I didn't particularly like to remember, and not because of the barely there dress and heels Alice forced me into. That night could have been the ruin of Edward and I. Luckily, we came out the other end stronger.

And that was why, no matter how much I might like to wish to forget the night, I would never really be able to forget it. It was a part of our history. And our relationship was important enough to me that I wanted to cherish everything, the good and the bad. The good times make us thankful for what we have. But the bad times make us appreciate them even more. I knew this better than anyone. Nowadays, the memories of my parents were my most prized possessions. Even the bad ones.

"But Bel-la," Alice whined. Good. I could handle it when she whined. It was the damned pouting that was always my demise. "I just know that Edward will love you in these."

"Al-ice," I mocked her right back. "Edward will love me no matter what shoes I'm wearing."

Her eyes narrowed at me and she sighed, slumping her shoulders in defeat. Most people would have taken this as a sign of their victory. But I knew better. I knew what was coming next.

"Alice, don't-" I started, but it was too late. The annoying pixie's face fell and her bottom lip poked out slightly in a look of utter disappointment.

"It's ok," she said in a whisper. "I understand you don't need me to help you." She lowered her gaze to the floor and walked toward the closet. My brain understood exactly what her agenda was, as my eyes rolled at her antics. Regardless, I couldn't stop the guilt in my heart from hurting her, and my mouth opened before I could stop it.

"Wait," I said and walked to her with my hand extended. "Give them to me." There was nothing in my voice that conveyed my willingness to do this. But Alice ignored it as a knowing smile lit up her face, all traces of her prior sadness gone. Instead of handing the shoes over to me, she grabbed my shoulders and forced me to sit on the bed. She sure was strong for such a tiny thing.

I sat there and allowed her to secure the death traps on my feet. I hated feeling petulant and useless, but I'd learned some time ago it was futile to fight Alice. It was much easier on us all if we just let her do her thing. As she was sliding on the second shoe, she started back up the conversation.

"So did you have good time with Esme yesterday?" she asked. Alice always knew how to get me in a better mood, and this time was no different. A smile immediately sprung to my face as I thought about the day.

"Yes, I learned so much," I admitted. But it was beyond that. Yesterday, I spent the day in the garden with Esme. To most, a day digging in the dirt would be an unwelcome chore. But to me, it was a birthday present.

The night of my birthday party last year, the one I don't want to remember but will never forget, finally ended on a high note once Edward and I straightened things out. When we headed back inside the house to finish the evening by opening presents. According to my friends and family, I was being "difficult" by forbidding them to buy presents. But that didn't stop them from being creative, and led to the best birthday I'd ever had.

Of everyone, Esme and Carlisle were the only ones to come right out and ask what I wanted. Of course, it had to follow the zero cost rule I'd already put in place. So as I looked on Edward's parents, and took in his picture perfect family, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be like Esme. I wanted to be that loving wife, someday, to Edward. A caring and selfless mother, someday, to our future children. I wanted to be that stable role model in all of their lives, someone they could lean on and depend on.

I also didn't want to freak them out by talking about marrying their son and having kids after having only known him a few weeks. So I opted for a more subtle tactic. I asked Esme if she could teach me about gardening, something I'd never really done. Her beautiful rose garden had served as the setting for endless midnight walks for Edward and I. Somewhere down the road, I desperately wanted to be able to recreate that magic in the backyard of our own home.

If only I had known just how well my plan would work, I wouldn't have waited eight months for the spring blossoms to appear. The work was difficult, much more than I expected considering Esme normally handled it all on her own. But she navigated the garden with ease, at home with her fingers deep in the Earth. She gave me all of her knowledge about the different plants and how to care for them, the proper techniques to use with the changing seasons, what plants did best with the constant rain and lack of sunshine of our geographic location.

But her wisdom did not end there. I learned so much about Esme as a person. Her childhood and parents. Meeting Carlisle and falling in love. Finding out she could not bear children of her own and experiencing the deepest pain she could have imagined at the time. And finally, finding Edward, Alice and Emmett, one at a time, and molding her family around these special little children. What each one meant to her and how they fit together as a whole in her heart, right along with her husband. None of them were blood related, yet it was as if they were created especially for each other.

Her comments struck something within me. The feelings she was describing were… familiar. It was as if she had reached right into my mind, my heart, and plucked the very words I would have used to describe my feelings for Edward. I could not explain the strange circumstances that brought us together. But I knew deep down inside that we were meant to be with each other.

By the end of the day, I wanted to cry with tears of happiness. I hadn't realized how much I missed having a strong mother figure in my life. Eight months ago I probably would have felt that I was betraying my mother by having this moment with Esme. Asking for her advice on topics like romance and love and family. But Edward's family had helped me realize that it was ok to be close to people again. It was ok to love again. And more than anything, that by doing so I was honoring my parents memory, not tarnishing it.

After we rinsed the dirt from our hands, Esme turned to me.

"Thank you," she said and looked me in the eye.

"Why are you thanking me?" I asked, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"For so many things, Bella," she answered and placed a gentle hand on my cheek, cupping my face in a motherly gesture. "For allowing me to share this day with you. For being such a caring friend to Alice and Emmett. For giving a love so honest and true to my dear Edward. For helping him become the wonderful man he is growing to be. For becoming a part of our family."

I tried to hold the tears back, I really did. But I'd already been fighting them off for too long. And it always seems the harder you try to hold tears in, the more forceful they become. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until a strangled sob broke through, a combination of the tears and emotions and lack of oxygen. It was too much. The memories of my mother and father. The emptiness I felt without them. And yet the unexpected happiness that was flowing through me at that moment, even without my parents near.

Esme wrapped me in her arms and cradled my face to her shoulder. She held me tightly as I wept, stroking my hair with tender hands. And she waited patiently for my tears to run dry, for me to regain my composure and speak again. I had no idea what to say to her that would truly convey how I felt.

"Esme, I should be thanking you," I said once I had pulled myself together. I pushed back lightly from her shoulder to look at her the way she had done for me. She smiled and wiped the wet trails of my tears from my cheeks as I spoke. "You are amazing and opened the doors of your home to me, as well as your arms. You've accepted me in without question, without judgment. I only hope that someday I can be half the woman you are."

"Oh Bella," she said and smiled even bigger. "Trust me, you already are."

I took a deep breath to calm the tears that were threatening to spill again. My smile widened as I looked down at Alice's worried face as she crouched in front of me.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm wonderful," I answered honestly. I didn't tell her the details of my day with Esme. I'm not sure she would have understood how a day of gardening had been so monumental for me. And besides, I kind of liked the idea of keeping it just between Esme and myself.

Alice stayed still for a moment, waiting for a breakdown that never came. Once she was finally satisfied that I really was fine, she stood gracefully to her feet and placed a tiny hand underneath my elbow.

"Let's get you to Edward," she said and nudged me from my place on the bed. We walked out of the room and down the stairs together, where Edward was waiting for me at the final step. As usual, he stole the breath from my chest. He was beautiful. With his sharp angles and defined muscles. Truly the most exquisite man I'd ever seen.

Automatically, my cheeks blushed and my gaze lowered. How was it still possible this creature wanted to be with me, despite my sub-standard appearance next to his own? No sooner had I locked eyes with the hardwood floor that Edward's finger looped under my chin, effectively lifting my face back to his. His dazzling smile met me, strong emotions flickering through his green eyes.

"Beautiful," he murmured softly and captured my lips with his own. It was a gentle chaste kiss that set my heart to fluttering and made my stomach clench in desire all at the same time. Only he could have that effect on me.

Alice cleared her throat next to us and Edward reluctantly pulled away, but not before he mouthed to me 'Later.' The gesture was not lost on Alice who rolled her eyes, but said nothing. To my dismay, Alice pulled a digital camera from her pocket and motioned for us to pose.

"Alice, do you not have enough pictures already?" Now it was my turn to whine. I hated taking pictures, even with Edward at my side.

"Trust me Bella, you're going to want this one," she said while looking at the camera's view finder. When she looked back up, she saw my confused expression. "Because you both look so good tonight!"

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to protest, but Edward's arm snaked around my waist just then. He nuzzled his lips next to my ear and spoke to me in his most seductive voice.

"The sooner we take this picture, the sooner you and I can be alone," were the words that caused me to giggle like a flighty schoolgirl. I hated it, but Edward always brought it out in me. Of course, that's when the camera's flash went off, the bright light clearly visible even behind my closed eye lids.

I opened my eyes and turned my face to Edward, choosing to ignore our overbearing photographer. Edward never stepped back, never loosened his grip on me. Instead he just lifted his head from my neck, resting his forehead gently against my own. He was still sporting a huge smile. I still could not make out the emotions hidden behind his eyes. I bit my lower lip in contemplation, looking up at him through my eye lashes. I couldn't help but smile back at him sheepishly.

My love opened his mouth to speak, but this time it was his turn to be interrupted as another flash went off and blinded us both. Edward actually growled, a low rumble emanating from deep within his chest.

"Alice…" he warned and turned his head slowly to give her a death glare.

"Alright, alright," she said with a wave of her hand, though her eyes were fixed on the camera while she scanned through the pictures she had taken. She must have been satisfied, because she turned and walked away without a glance to spare for us. "Now get out of here you two crazy lovebirds."

"Are you ready?" Edward asked, his warm breath sliding over my face and down my neck.

"Always."

17


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17, Part II – Edward Point of View**

We drove in relative silence down the winding two-lane highway. We were heading in the direction of the setting sun and, with my hurried driving, one might have thought I was trying to catch it. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road, being constantly distracted by the beautiful woman in the passenger's seat.

Bella had always managed to steal my attention, though I was never sure whether it was her outward appearance or her inner light that called to me more. Probably a combination of both. But as the sun's fading rays trickled through the windshield, she was literally radiant. The rosy blush of her cheeks deepened, her warm eyes sparkling, the faint red highlight in her hair now a more stark contrast to her mahogany locks.

She knew I was watching her, I could tell by the slight twitching of her lips. But she chose not to say anything. Instead, she turned her attention away from the sunset and scanned through the music on her iPod. I smiled as I remembered the night I gave it to her. The night of her birthday party.

I had been completely frustrated with Bella's ridiculous stipulations that even I could not buy her a birthday present. I mean, who doesn't want nice presents on the one day of the year meant to celebrate themselves? I'd never heard of such a thing, especially with a demanding little sister such as Alice.

So I was forced to dig deep, to think back through my conversations with Bella over the weeks we'd known each other and come up with something… meaningful. It was within the context of our first date that I found my answer. Sitting in the booth at the Italian restaurant, holding a friendly session of twenty questions, Bella had admitted to me her love of music. It was an interest that aligned with my own. But whereas I had a nice sound system in my car, and an even better one at home, she did not. So I decided to give her one of my most prized possessions. My iPod.

I spent the rare time I was actually away from Bella hiding in my room, hovering over my laptop. I rearranged music that was already loaded to my iPod into playlists that I thought Bella would like. 'Running' turned to 'Energetic', 'Study' turned to 'Focus.' I may have even cheated and purchased some new songs, but I rationalized that I was buying them for myself at the time. The final playlist was titled 'Surprise,' which I had refused to explain to Bella so far.

My self-proclaimed thoughtful gift turned into a family affair when Alice got wind of what I was doing. She quickly confiscated the iPod, adding her own collection of songs and playlists. She claimed that Bella needed some "girly" music too, which she doubted I would be able to provide. I clearly couldn't argue that logic. By the time the iPod made its way back to me, all wrapped in sparkly pink and silver paper, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had added their own personal selections as well.

I was pretty bummed about the whole thing. I had wanted to give Bella something special from me. Just me. Something she could look at and only think of me. Every song reminding her of me. Yes, it was selfish. But I wanted it nonetheless. That was, until she opened it.

The look on her face as Alice explained the songs and playlists, how we had all added to it, was adorable. My scowl quickly turned into a matching grin as her happiness passed to everyone in the room. And leave it to Bella, she just knew.

"This was your idea wasn't it?" she whispered in my ear after wrapping her arms around me and pulling me close. She'd already hugged and thanked the others. But this embrace, these words, were just for me. Alice hadn't specifically said who came up with the idea, and I didn't want to say anything that could be considered rude. Well, actually I did. But I kept my mouth shut anyway, nice guy that I am. I simply nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered sweetly and then pulled me into a fierce kiss. With tongue. I would have kicked Emmett's ass for the cat calls and lewd comments, but I was too busy kissing my girl. Besides, I'd seen enough public displays of affection between him and Rosalie to scar me for two lifetimes. There was definitely no censorship in that relationship.

Yet, behind the contentment that came from this particular memory, I could feel another emotion lingering in the background of my mind. I shoved the ever-present guilt and remorse back down and forced myself to focus on the happy memories of that night. Sure, I'd been wrong, a complete and utter idiot in my jealousy and self doubt. It was all proof that Bella deserved someone better. A better man.

And yet, she chose me. Even when I gave her every reason to run, she told me time and time again that she chose me. If its one thing I learned in this life, it's that second chances don't come along very often. Realizing the good, beautiful, perfect thing I was being given, I decided to make the best of it. To hold on tight, wrap my arms around it tightly and never let go. So far that plan was working, and I was continuing on with the next phase tonight.

Bella pressed play on the iPod and her smile grew bigger as a new song came on. I couldn't help but smile again myself, as it was pretty funny. Not the actual song, but the memories associated with it. After Bella had thanked us all for the iPod, Emmett showed her how to connect it to the stereo system in our family's living room. And after scrolling to his own playlist, he hit play on one of his more "interesting" selections… "Whatta' Man" by Salt-N-Pepa.

What followed was a scary, yet hilarious, one-man karaoke-slash-dance recital. Surprisingly, my giant brother was actually lithe on his feet, executing pretty decent versions of both the Running Man and Tootsie Roll. Though his Macarena admittedly needed some work. Afterwards, we were all thankful that we hadn't been consuming alcoholic beverages. Or maybe we should have been.

By the time the song finished playing through the speakers in the car, we were both in tears from laughing so hard. I don't think we'd ever hear that song again without doing so. It was one of those memories that got funnier every time we thought about it.

"Ok, no more Emmett songs for the night," I said as Bella wiped a tear from her cheek. She looked at me curiously, so I explained with a shrug. "My sides hurt too much." She nodded her agreement and picked up the iPod to switch tunes.

"Why don't you play something from the 'Surprise' playlist," I said nonchalantly, keeping my eyes firmly on the road in front of us. I heard the swish of her hair as she snapped her head to look at me. I could feel the heat of her stare though I refused to meet her gaze. I was willing to bet money that she was gaping at me with an open mouth.

Bella had been beyond frustrated ever since she had received the iPod. Every playlist had been explained to her, with the exception of this one. I hadn't done it on purpose… at first. But as her frustration grew, so did her determination to make me crack and spill the truth. Really, it was all very cute. She begged, pleaded, sweet-talked me. She even propositioned some very un-Bella like experiences. I'm still not sure I did the right thing turning those down. Emmett tells me I'm the only guy on the planet to refuse something like that.

But in the end, I knew what those songs meant. And I figured out pretty quickly when I intended to use them. _Tonight_.

The raw recording of the piano flowed through the speakers. You could even hear the faint tapping of the metronome in the background. It was a demo recording from the artist, rather than the final studio recording that was released on the album. I preferred these types of tracks: demos, acoustic sessions, live performances. The heart and soul of music was found in these lesser known recordings. The natural edge of the human voice and the rare imperfections of the instruments. But they were real, unmarred by the precision of a producer to finesse the final product.

The low voice of the singer came through loud and clear, speaking words of timeless love so much better than I could ever dream of crafting.

"_Let me be the one who calls you baby  
All the time  
Surely you can take some comfort  
Knowing that you're mine  
Just hold me tight, lay by my side  
and let me be the one who calls you  
Baby all the time  
I found my place in the world  
Could stare at your face for the rest of  
my days  
Now I can breathe, turn my insides out  
and Smother me  
Warm and alive I'm all over you  
would you smother me?"_

Throughout the song, Bella didn't speak. She didn't move. My tension grew as I wondered if she was even breathing. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe Bella didn't understand the meaning behind the song.

But as the notes faded and Bella clicked the pause button of the iPod, the warm coloring of her cheeks returned. She bit her bottom lip deep in thought, still staring down into her lap for a moment before she spoke.

"That was for me," she stated rather than asked.

"Yes," I said quietly, my eyes still on the road.

"From you," she continued.

"Yes."

It was quiet in the car for some time, the gentle purr of the engine and the turning of the wheels the only sounds to break the silence. I stole brief glances at Bella in a poor attempt to gauge her reaction. The knot in my stomach tightened further with every passing minute. Just when I was about to scream with anguish, she finally spoke.

"Thank you." It was a barely audible whisper. But I'd been straining so hard to hear anything from her, it came through loud and clear. The breath I'd been holding whooshed from my lungs and my body relaxed just a bit.

"You're welcome," I whispered back. Despite my best effort, I couldn't hide the smile that crept to the corner of my mouth. After a moment, I glanced again at Bella to see she wore the same expression.

Luckily, my timing was spot on as we arrived at our destination just moments later. We had traveled about 30 minutes outside of Seattle to a little bed and breakfast on the coast. It was an average sized two-story home that sat right on the water. Cozy and quaint in its design, I mentally did a fist pump of triumph as I watched Bella take in the surroundings. I could tell by her lack of words and cute little "O" shaped mouth that she loved the place. Just like I knew she would when I found it online.

"Edward, what are we doing here?" she finally asked from the passenger's seat.

"What, can't a guy whisk his girl away for a romantic weekend?" I asked innocently. I couldn't help but smirk at the flustered look on her face. She really was adorable.

"The weekend?" she asked, a bit of an edge to her voice that was slightly panicky. "But I didn't pack a bag, I don't have any clothes or-"

"Ah, but that's why I had Alice pack a bag for you, love," I reassured her gently. For a moment I was afraid she would be upset with me for not filling her in earlier. Bella has quite the independent streak in her. But I was relieved when her shoulders relaxed and she smiled over at me.

"You just think of everything don't you?" she joked.

"Actually, Alice thinks of everything," I clarified. "I just take credit for it." We both sat there for a moment, smiling at each other like goofballs, before I finally unbuckled my seatbelt.

"Come on, they're expecting us," I said as I climbed out of the car. I retrieved both of our bags from the trunk, Bella shaking her head again when she spotted her familiar duffle bag bursting at the seams from my sister's over packing. Geez, it was just two days, what did she put in here?

Before I could knock on the front door, it swung open. A middle-aged woman not much taller than Bella greeted us with a wide smile. She had strawberry blonde hair that hung over her shoulders in soft waves. The corners of her hazel eyes were crinkled just a bit, the signs of age finally starting to set in. Yet, she was beautiful in a very natural way. It reminded me so much of Bella.

"Mr. Cullen, I presume?" she asked in a formal manner. Yet her soft tone of voice immediately put me at ease. I glanced at Bella to see that she was smiling back at the woman, obviously comfortable as well.

"Please, call me Edward," I answered, confirming her question. Before I could introduce Bella, the woman spoke again.

"Then you must be Mrs. Cullen," she stated, her smile only becoming larger as she looked at the beautiful woman at my side.

"Actually-" Bella began. But I thought this was too perfect an opportunity to pass up.

"Yes," I interrupted and wrapped my free arm tightly around Bella's waist. "This is my Bella." Her head snapped up to look at me, her mouth still open from her unfinished words. But she recovered quickly and gave me a small, though confused, smile.

"Well welcome to Waverly Bed and Breakfast," the woman continued as she ushered us inside. "My name is Annabelle, the owner of this fine establishment." She led us through the small entry hall into a beautiful great room. The floors were a polished, teak-wood, flanked by white-washed walls on two sides. The far wall was made of natural stone and featured a fireplace that was currently ablaze. All of the furniture was mismatched, yet looked as if each piece was meant to go together. The overstuffed cushions and fuzzy throw blankets made me want to curl up and catch a nap by the fire.

But the showpiece of the entire room was the far wall which was made entirely of glass. The floor to ceiling windows reminded me on the windows in my room at my parents house. But the view couldn't have been any different. Rather than the lush green of the forest beyond, these windows looked out over the Oregon coast. The light ocean breeze was sending waves toward the beach, their white caps peaking and spilling over onto the sand and stones. A few huge pieces of driftwood, bleached white from the elements, were barely visible on the beach in the fading sunlight. They'd make the perfect place to site and watch the sunset… tomorrow night. But tonight I had different plans.

"It's just beautiful, Annabelle," Bella said sincerely. I loved watching her take the place in. Her eyes were wide in wonder and a shy smile never left her face. She took her time reviewing every element of the room, from touching the handmade throw blankets on the loveseat to feel their softness, to reading every title of book available on the fully stocked bookshelf. I, in turn, took my time reviewing her.

Her white skinny jeans fit her body perfectly and the back of her light yellow halter top dipped low enough to show she wasn't wearing a bra. God bless my sister for forcing her fashion taste on Bella. Her brown flats and the matching cardigan she carried with her, though, allowed Bella's taste to shine through. Her hair had gotten longer since we first met, a side effect of my penchant for running my fingers through her soft mane, I'm sure. Her skin was a bit more sun kissed since we'd been able to spend a little more time outdoors recently with the warming weather. But it was still fair enough to clearly show her trademark blushes whenever they chose to appear (which was quite often if I had anything to say about it.)

Annabelle cleared her throat next to me and I startled out of my daydreams. I looked over to the inn keeper with an embarrassed smile, fully aware that I had been caught ogling my "wife" and her goods.

"I'm afraid you two are our only guests right now," Annabelle stated. "We don't typically fill up until the weather warms up just a bit more." My smile increased ten-fold, thinking of all the reasons I was grateful for the added privacy this weekend. And for once, I was the one to blush instead of Bella.

"I'm sure you two would like to rest in your room after your long drive," Annabelle said as Bella once again joined my side.

"That would be nice," Bella said as she followed Annabelle down another hallway toward our room. "Perhaps you could provide us with a recommendation on where to get dinner? I'm starving."

"Oh, I think know just the place," Annabelle said as she opened the door to our room, allowing Bella to enter before her. The woman gave me a sly wink as I began to step into the room, to which I offered a mischievous smile in return. "I'll have that restaurant information in the kitchen for you after you've rested.

I didn't notice the door softly click closed behind me. My eyes were fixated on the radiant young woman that stood before me, once again in awe of her surroundings. After a moment of silence, Bella finally looked up at me.

"It's so perfect, Edward," she whispered. Her eyes were shining in the dim light of the room. All of the lamps had been left off, just as I'd requested. Now it was time to see how the rest of my requests had turned out.

"I want things to be perfect, for you Bella," I said as I wrapped my arms around her slender waist. I tried to speak genuinely and convey all of the emotions I was feeling.

"Thank you," she said, again whispering as if she was afraid to burst the perfect little bubble we were in. Little did she know that things were only going to get better.

I led her by the hand down the short hallway from the parlor of our suite to the master bedroom. I heard her gasp as we entered, seeing the beautiful setting for the first time. The bedroom had a fireplace of its own, a pile of wood already crackling under warm flames. All of the furniture was a dark cherry wood, very antique looking. The dresser and side tables adorned with tea light candles, the only lighting in the room aside from the fire.

The bedding was all-white and fluffy, as if you could fall into its depths and get lost in the softness for days. We might just have to try that this weekend. But the "peace de resistance" were the French doors left open and leading to a wooden deck overlooking the beach. It was there that a bistro table and two chairs had been set up for the evening, our dinners covered with fancy looking domes to keep them warm, a bottle of wine left on ice to chill. Fine china, crystal glasses, fresh flowers and more candles. Bella was right, it was perfect.

She wandered further into the room, absently dropping her cardigan on the bedding as she was drawn to the French doors. She walked onto the deck, placing her hands gently on the railing. I watched as she closed her eyes and inhaled the cool ocean air deeply. The A look of contentment crossed her face as she exhaled and relaxed further. My attention was pulled to her bare shoulders and the wonderful expanse of creamy skin there, a light sprinkling of Goosebumps appearing due to the evening chill.

I immediately crossed the room to her, picking up her cardigan from the bed on my way. When I reached her, I placed a tender kiss on her shoulder, then her neck, before reluctantly covering her beautiful body with the cardigan. I would have much rather used my own body to bring her warmth at that moment, but I had a few things to take care of first.

"I'll be right back," I whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver. I chuckled softly at the effect I had over her while I walked back inside. I unzipped the side of my bag and removed the portable speakers, setting them on one of the side tables next to the bed and connecting them to Bella's iPod which I had discreetly swiped from the car. Moments later, soft music filtered through the room and out onto the deck where Bella could hear.

"Let me guess," her voice called to me from the deck. "The 'Surprise' playlist?"

"You guessed correctly," I answered her as I moved our bags to the closet. We'd have time to unpack our things later. I glanced at the bed, torn as to whether or not fold back the linens. I wanted this to be romantic, but didn't want to come across as expecting too much. Not that our relationship wasn't physical, but tonight was about showing how much I loved her. Not about expecting anything. Ultimately, I decided to forgo the turndown and walked to the bottle of wine on the deck instead.

"Wine?" I asked as I removed the bottle from the ice bucket. Bella turned her head and nodded, smiling sweetly as she watched me twist the corkscrew into the top of the bottle. I poured two glasses and carried hers to her, allowing her to taste it before moving back to the table. I removed the covers from our dinner plates, revealing a chicken past with lemon sauce and a colorful variety of fresh vegetables. It was an almost identical replication of Bella's favorite dish from an Italian restaurant near her apartment. We were frequent visitors.

Also on the table was a large bowl of Caesar salad with serving tongs, a basket of warm bread wrapped tightly in a dinner napkin and two glasses of water. A tray setup near the table held a pitcher of water and a plate of mixed deserts for us to enjoy later. My thoughts once again betrayed me as I thought of all the things I could do with the strawberries and whipped cream on the plate. Shaking my head, I pulled out a chair for Bella, trying my best to be a gentleman on this special night.

"Would you please join me for dinner?" I asked formally, using my best smile, the one I saved just for her. She giggled and nodded before slipping gracefully into the chair. I went one step further and placed her napkin in her lap for her, before settling into my own chair.

"Edward, this looks delicious," she said as she eyed the spread before her. Before she could dig in, I raised my wine glass.

"To you, Bella," I said softly, staring into her eyes as intently as I could. I hoped she didn't notice the slight tremble in my hands. I could feel my heartbeat increasing. There was no way I'd be able to eat anything with my nerves suddenly assaulting my system. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Until this moment, I had been so very sure of everything. Hours of meticulous planning and careful consideration for every uttered word. But it wasn't myself that I doubted.

_What if Bella finally realizes that I don't deserve her? What if she finally understands that she could do so much better than me?_

Bella tilted her head and the side of her mouth twitched. Her eyes sparkled and she looked at me almost in amusement. I could see the gears turning inside her mind and I prayed that she couldn't see my inner conflict shining through.

"To us," she corrected me with a clink of our two glasses. And with those two perfect words, Bella did what she alone had always been able to do for me. She put my fears at ease. With those two words, she reminded me what was so right about our relationship, why it had been worth fighting so hard for in the first place. It was never about my needs, my insecurities, my never ending love. Just as it was never about hers.

The truth of the matter is that it had always been about us. Together, as one single unit instead of two separate bodies. I remembered my father's words from the journal. "As long as I have her by my side, for the rest of eternity, then I can do all else." And so clearly I could see the flaw in his words. Because really they should read, "As long as _we_ are together, _side by side_ for the rest of eternity, then _we_ can do all else." I'd have to remember to include that it my writings within the journal soon.

"To us," I repeated and took the smallest sip of wine I thought my stomach would allow. There would be plenty of time for that later. There was something else I needed to do now. I set the wine glass down firmly on the table, my hands sure in my resolve and no longer shaking. My heart was still pounding in my throat, but it was in excitement rather than anxiety.

I reached into the pocket of my slacks and retrieved the velvet jewelry box that had been there all day. It had brought me comfort as I crossed the graduation stage this morning. And now it brought the same sensation again as I discreetly placed it in my lap under the table. Now or never.

"Bella," I caught her attention before as she was reaching for the basket of bread. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Alright," she said and placed the basket back on the table, giving me her undivided attention. I had to clear my throat before I could begin.

"Thank you," I began, saying the words to her that I vowed I would repeat every day for the rest of our lives. Starting today. Right now. Bella looked at me confusedly, waiting for me to continue. After a few moments of silence, though, she realized I didn't plan to elaborate.

"For what?" she asked to edge me on.

"Everything," I said vaguely. "For being in my life. For loving me. For being such an incredible woman." Bella lowered her eyes to her lap, blushing furiously.

"Edward-" she began. I knew what she was about to say and I couldn't have her messing up my plans.

"Bella," I interrupted. "I owe you so much more than those words could ever express. But until I come up with something better, they'll have to do." She looked back up at me then and offered a shy smile. But she didn't try to interrupt me so I continued.

"I love you with all my heart," I said. "With all my soul. You are my everything. I love being with you. Talking with you. Laughing with you. Waking up with you…"

I thought back to the past few months. I had stayed with Bella at her apartment during the first two weeks after the incident. She was wary about going back alone, a concern that proved valid as she had regular nightmares about James and the attack. She would never give me any details about what happened in her dreams, but even from a room away I could hear her screams. And they scared me shitless.

I had tried to be a gentleman. Really, I had. But that sneaky little minx found her way around my well-meant intentions, right into my arms while I slept on the couch. The fact that it was the best night's sleep I'd had in forever was not something I allowed myself to consider. Much.

So I finally gave in and stayed with her after that. In her bed. But it was purely platonic. I swear. No really! Thankfully, Bella seemed to appreciate me giving in and didn't push our physical relationship. Which was a good thing because, lying pressed against her body night after night, I don't think I would have been able to deny her anything.

After two weeks, we both needed to get back into our normal routine. School was calling and we couldn't put it off any longer. So it was with a heavy heart that I headed back to my parents home on a Sunday night, leaving Bella back at her apartment alone. The thought was that we would both get a good night's rest before school the next morning. I texted Bella around 10:00pm, telling her goodnight and that I loved her. She texted right back telling me the same.

About midnight, I was still lying awake staring at the ceiling. My phone chirped, indicating an incoming message. It was from Bella. '_R U still awake?_' I called her immediately to find out neither of us could sleep. We stayed on the phone for about an hour before I made her disconnect to try to get some sleep. We decided to meet on campus the next day to have lunch together.

I never did get to sleep that night, tossing and turning, constantly wondering if Bella was able to find rest in the absence of my own. One look at her face when we met at the cafeteria the next day confirmed that she had not. Faint circles appeared underneath her eyes and her shoulders drooped with fatigue. To be fair, I don't think I looked much better either.

Exhausted physically from the lack of sleep and mentally from my heavy course load, I finally got a few hours of shuteye later that night. Due to our class schedules, and Bella's insistence to go job hunting to supplement her scant income, I didn't see her again until the end of the week when I came to her apartment on Friday night.

The door opened slowly and I couldn't help but gasp when I saw her. The faint circles now looked like full blown bruises. Bella could barely hold her eyes open long enough to look at me. I immediately pulled her to me and supported her weight, afraid that she would pass out at any moment.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked urgently. "Are you sick?" I tilted her face up gently with the palm of my hand. Her eyes opened wider but they were suddenly filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry Edward!" she cried and pressed her face into my chest. I held her tightly as she cried, the only thing I felt I could do at the moment. After settling her onto the couch and rocking her back and forth until the tears had subsided, Bella filled me in on her sleepless nights. In her defense she really had tried to go back to a normal routine, sleeping alone. But the anxiety caused from the memories still lingering within her apartment and the terrorizing nightmares were just too much. So she began trying to avoid both at all costs.

When not in class, Bella spent her days at my family's house. She'd grown very close to my parents and my siblings throughout this whole ordeal. But it was when she actually volunteered to go shopping with Alice that I knew something was off.

At night, we took turns sleeping at her apartment and in my room at my parents' home. At first, I loved the fact that Bella trusted me so much that the only time she could sleep peacefully was when she was in my arms. I felt like I had finally done something right and I relished in my role as her protector. But that lighthearted feeling wouldn't last.

Problems soon arose whenever our schedules would conflict. I needed to spend a weekend away for an interview I had previously scheduled for med school. Bella also had an already planned weekend trip to downtown Seattle. She was supposed to stay overnight at a psychiatric facility to observe its operations, an assignment from one of her classes. We both had to cancel those trips, too afraid of what would come from a weekend apart.

We realized very quickly that this wasn't healthy. I was terrified of losing Bella so soon after finding her, worried what this type of strain would do to our relationship. But that's the beauty of having a doctor as a father. Carlisle was able to step in and assess the situation, recommending a colleague of his that Bella could talk to. I accompanied her to her initial meeting with Dr. Hope Sellars, a therapist who specialized in abuse cases.

I sat in the waiting room for an hour, anxiously bouncing my knee and driving the receptionist up the wall. Luckily Bella fared better, exiting the doctor's office with a soft smile and a plan.

She was given two short-term prescriptions, one for a sleep aid and one for an anti-anxiety medication. My limited medical knowledge quickly kicked in and I worried about dependency issues. But after speaking with Carlisle, I was able to better understand how much they could help Bella make progress. Plus, Dr. Sellars had a well-planned schedule for weaning Bella off the prescriptions.

In addition, Bella kept weekly appointments with Dr. Sellars. Again, Bella didn't give me details about what went on during those sessions. But from what I could gather, she spent time talking about her experience, her dreams, her fears. After a few weeks, I could already tell a difference in my Bella. Now she's even able to sleep on her own on the rare occasion that I let her out of my sight.

She still visits with Dr. Sellars, but the sessions are only occasional now. She speaks more freely with me about what's going on in her mind. If she's worried about something, she'll usually tell me without much prompting. I'd like to say I'm able to help ease her concerns, but it's usually Bella's own rational way of thinking that eventually does the most good. My girl is smart.

Despite it all, she managed to catch back up in her classes after the time she missed. At first, we were worried she would have to accept an 'Incomplete' for all of her courses. If that had happened, she'd lose the money she already paid for those classes and not get any credit for them. But Bella dug in, spending extra hours studying and completing twice the amount of assignments. By the end of the semester, not only had she caught up with her other classmates, but she managed to maintain her 3.8 grade point average. Like I said, my girl is smart.

And now here she is, still with me. Healthy. Strong. Happy. But I wanted to make her happier. I hoped my next move would do just that.

"I want to spend every moment with you, Bella," I said and pulled the little velvet box from my lap. She gasped when I placed it in front of her, just next to her dinner fork.

"And if you feel the same, I hope you'll accept this," I said, effectively ending my little speech. Bella's hands were now covering her mouth in surprise, but I could still see her eyes which were huge with shock, shooting back and forth between me and the box. She was stuck like this for a few quiet moments until she finally forced herself to move.

She picked up box and held it in her hands, taking a deep breath and looking at me once more before slowly opening it. Impossibly, her eyes grew even larger upon seeing what was inside. And then her brow furrowed, her eyes squinted. She finally looked back up at me in confusion. It only made my smile grow bigger. I am such a goofball.

"Um, Edward, what is this?" she asked. She just sat there, staring at the box and its contents.

"Well, Bella, I thought the notation would explain that," I answered her. This was going exactly as I had hoped. Bella leaned in closer to peer inside the box, where I was sure she was reading my note. I had to admit, it was the tiniest writing I could manage. It had to be to fit on the side of a key.

'**Live with me?'**

I had been contemplating moving into my own apartment for some time, which Bella was aware of. I figured now that I had my undergrad degree and would soon be keeping odd hours in med school, the timing was perfect. Well, that and I really just wanted to live with Bella.

"You want me to move in with you?" she asked, confusion etched across her lovely face.

"I haven't actually found a place yet," I explained. "The key is just a prop. I thought we could find the perfect place for us. Together."

Bella stared at the key for what felt like an eternity. For a split second, it looked like her face fell. But she composed herself and looked back up at me with a bright smile. Luckily, I knew my Bella. I knew I could make it bigger.

"Sure, Edward," she said and placed the key back in the box before setting it in her lap. "I would love to move in with you."

"That's great!" I said enthusiastically. I had to force myself to remain seated. I wanted nothing more than to pick her up and spin her around in excitement. But there was something a bit off about her response.

"But are you ok?" I asked her. "You don't seem quite as happy as I imagined you would be right now."

"No, no," she assured me. "I'm fine."

"But," I prompted her. Bella only used the words 'I'm fine' when she really wasn't.

"It's just," she began. Her cheeks burned bright red and she lowered her away from my gaze. She took another deep breath before she continued. "Well, I just thought when you pulled the box out…" She trailed off, unable to finish the statement. But I knew exactly what she thought.

"You thought I was going to propose?" I asked. She nodded but didn't look back up at me.

"Bella, look at the other side of the key," I whispered to her. She sat perfectly still for a moment before opening the box and retrieving the key once more. As instructed, she turned the key over to find the other tiny message I had placed there.

'**Marry me first?'**

Bella gasped and jerked her head up again. Instead of finding me seated across from her, she now saw that I was perched on one knee by her side. In my hand, I was holding an antique engagement ring that Alice helped me find. It actually came from an estate dealer in New York. It was simple. It was timeless. It was perfectly unique, just like my love.

Just as I expected, her smile grew to an impossible size. And I knew I would spend the rest of my existence doing whatever it took to keep it that way.

**THE END**

17


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